Barrett, Barnes each pour in 33 as Raptors surge past Cavaliers in Game 3
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TORONTO — RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes scored 33 points apiece on Thursday night, powering the Toronto Raptors to a 126-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and trimming Cleveland’s first-round advantage to 2-1.
Playing his first postseason game in his hometown, Barrett hit 6 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc and later said, “A night like tonight was good to build some confidence and just show that we’re here.” Barnes matched Barrett’s point total while adding 11 assists and five rebounds, becoming part of only the third tandem in franchise history to record 30 or more points each in a playoff contest. The previous pairs were Kawhi Leonard–Kyle Lowry in 2019 and Lowry–DeMar DeRozan in 2016.
Toronto’s bench delivered as well. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles set a club postseason rookie record with 22 points, and Jamison Battle drilled four three-pointers after being inactive for the first two games. Overall, the Raptors went 14-for-23 (61%) from long range.
Head coach Darko Rajaković credited his team’s defensive focus for slowing a Cavaliers trio that had dominated Game 2. Donovan Mitchell was held to 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting, James Harden managed 18 points on 5-of-13 with eight turnovers, and Evan Mobley finished with 15 points on 4-of-13. “He did everything for us tonight,” Rajaković said of Barnes, who spent long stretches guarding both Mitchell and Harden.
The teams were deadlocked at halftime, and Toronto led by two entering the fourth quarter before erupting for a 43-23 closing period that electrified the Scotiabank Arena crowd. “Energy in the building was crazy,” Barrett said. “We just played hard. That’s the result.”
Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Toronto.
Source: ESPN
