Barrett’s Bouncing Three Lifts Raptors, Forces Decider in Cleveland
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TORONTO — RJ Barrett banked in a 29-foot three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in overtime, giving the Toronto Raptors a 112-110 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night and extending their first-round series to a Game 7.
The shot, launched from the top of the arc, struck the back rim, soared above the backboard and dropped through, igniting the sellout crowd of 19,919 at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto, once down 2-0 in the series, has now claimed all three home games to set up Sunday’s winner-take-all matchup at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“I knew it was good because it went straight up,” Barrett said, recalling a similar carom by Tyrese Haliburton in last season’s conference finals. The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell immediately thought of Kawhi Leonard’s four-bounce buzzer-beater that sent Toronto past Philadelphia in 2019.
Barrett, a Toronto native and 2024 Canadian Olympian, finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in 43 minutes. According to ESPN Research, he is only the second player in league history to deliver a series-saving field goal in the final two seconds of an overtime period.
Scottie Barnes paced the Raptors with 25 points and 14 assists. On the decisive play, Barnes initially sought his own shot but fed Barrett after a brief exchange before the inbounds pass. “He was like, ‘I got you. Just trust me,’” Barnes said. Toronto trailed by one at the time.
Head coach Darko Rajaković admitted he had scripted late-game sets for Barrett hours before tipoff. “Call me crazy, call me psychic,” he said. “I saw this one coming tonight.”
Home court has dictated the series so far; each building has produced three victories for its occupant. History, however, leans Cleveland’s way: the Raptors are 0-10 all-time in road playoff games against the Cavaliers, including 0-3 this year.
“Forget everything that’s happened so far,” Barrett said. “We’ve got one game to decide it all.”
Source: ESPN
