Raptors Force Game 7 Vs. Cavaliers With Rj Barrett Bouncing In A 3-pointer For The Overtime Win

The Toronto Raptors forced a Game 7 in their first-round NBA playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning 112-110 in overtime on Friday with arguably the most fortuitous bounce of RJ Barrett’s career.

His 3-point shot with 1.2 seconds remaining bounced straight up off the heel of the rim then dropped down through the net for the go-ahead score. Toronto hasn’t seen a bounce like that since Kawhi Leonard’s baseline jumper to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 on its way to the NBA championship.

The home team has won each game in this series, leaving the Cavs to hope that pattern continues on Sunday.

However, what could haunt Cleveland is that Barrett possibly shouldn’t have had an opportunity for that game-winner. On the previous play, Collin Murray-Broyles knocked the ball away from Evan Mobley and it went out of bounds. The official ruled that Mobley was the last to touch the ball. But Cleveland was out of challenges and couldn’t have the play reviewed.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson lost his second challenge in the second quarter, calling for an offensive foul on Jaylon Tyson to be reviewed. Tyson clearly elbowed Jamal Shead in the face and the call was upheld.

Barrett finished with 24 points and nine rebounds, shooting 4-for-12 on 3s. But that fourth one mattered the most. Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 25 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds. Ja’Kobe Walter also scored 24 with five rebounds and three steals.

Donovan Mitchell’s layup with 33.7 seconds remaining in overtime put the Cavaliers on top, 110-108, and looked like it might be the game-winner after they trailed during the entire second half and didn’t take a lead until the extra period.

Mitchell only had seven points at halftime, but ended up with 24 as he heated up in the fourth quarter. Mobley led all scorers with 26 points, hitting the game-tying shot in regulation, and grabbed 14 rebounds. James Harden added 16, but shot 5-of-14 from the floor.

After battling back to tie the game and send it to overtime, Cleveland took a 108-106 lead in the extra period on a Harden jumper in the lane. But Toronto answered with a floater by Scottie Barnes for the tie.

The first quarter was a standoff with both teams trading leads eight times and tied at 32-32 after the Raptors scored the final six points of the frame. Cleveland shot 63%, while Toronto hit 57% of its shots.

However, the Raptors scored the first seven points of the second quarter, giving them a 13-2 run to take a five-point lead. Toronto built that lead up to 61-51 with a barrage of 3-pointers, two of them from Walter and capped off by Shead in the final minute before halftime.

The Raptors shot 50% (9-for-18) on their 3-point shots in the half, while the Cavaliers went 28% (5-of-18) from behind the arc. Cleveland also committed 10 turnovers, helping fuel Toronto’s surge.

Cavaliers finally broke through in fourth quarter

In the third quarter, the Cavaliers couldn’t cut their deficit to fewer than nine points. The Raptors answered each time to push their lead back up to double digits. But Cleveland finally got over that hurdle in the fourth with a Dean Wade 3 trimming Toronto’s lead to 96-88. Mitchell then hit his second 3-pointer of the game and followed that up with a fast-break layup to cut the Raptors’ lead to 96-93 with 6:54 remaining.

Toronto coach Darko Rajaković called a timeout, but Collin Murray-Boyles missed a shot on the next possession. He made up for that by blocking Jarrett Allen at the other end, but Mobley recovered the shot and got a dunk to make it a 96-95 score.

The Cavs had three opportunities to seize the lead, but couldn’t knock down the go-ahead shot. That included a Mitchell stepback 3-point try with 42.4 seconds left that rattled in and out.

A missed Barrett 3-pointer and shot-clock violation by Toronto gave Cleveland an opportunity to tie or take the lead. Mobley didn’t squander that chance, getting a finger roll in the lane for a 104-104 score. The Raptors had the last shot of regulation with 11.6 seconds remaining but Shead missed a midrange fadeaway.

Toronto played without Brandon Ingram, who aggravated a right heel injury in Game 5’s 125-120 defeat. He’s averaged 12 points and 3.2 rebounds in the series, shooting 39% from 3-point range. The Raptors were already shorthanded due to Immanuel Quickley missing the entire series with a strained right hamstring.

The victor of this series will face the winner of the other Game 7 of the first round. The Detroit Pistons pushed their matchup with the Orlando Magic to a do-or-die game with an improbable comeback from a 24-point deficit and 93-79 win on Friday.