In a heart-stopping game in which the Raptors had their season on the line, the Toronto team pulled out a 112-110 last-second overtime victory in Game 6 of the playoffs over the Cavaliers on Friday night on a three-pointer by RJ Barrett.
The playoffs are tied 3-3 and will now be decided in Game 7 to be played next Sunday in Cleveland. The hero of the night was RJ Barrett, who scored a dream three-pointer (where the ball bounced off the rim, soared over the backboard and fell into the basket) with one second left in the game to give the Raptors a 112-110 lead.
Barrett makes history as Barnes leads another heroic night
Barrett is the first player since the 1997-98 season to score a game-winning shot with less than two seconds left in overtime to prevent his team’s elimination.
But it was once again Scottie Barnes who carried his team for much of the game.
The forward had a double-double with a team-high 25 points and 14 assists.
He also grabbed 7 rebounds and had three blocks.
Barnes’ 14 assists tied Chris Childs’ 2002 record for most assists by a Raptors player in a postseason game.
Also outstanding for the Raptors were Ja’Kobe Walter, with 24 points, and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles.
In addition to scoring 17 points, he successfully defended James Harden for much of the game (Filed under: Raptors vs Cavaliers).
Cavs react, but Raptors hold their own
For the Cavs, Evan Mobley signed a double-double with 26 points, the game’s top scorer, and 14 rebounds.
While Donovan Mitchell, who had a great second half, scored 24 points.
Harden, meanwhile, finished with 16 points and 9 assists.
The Raptors, who led by as many as 15 points, dominated much of the game.
Until the last quarter, when Barnes’ physical effort and the accumulation of personal injuries allowed the Cavaliers to erase the home team’s advantage.
The game opened with the Raptors squeezing the Cavaliers all over the court.
But the hurried pressure left gaps that the visitors took advantage of to get up to six points on the scoreboard.
In addition, the Toronto team quickly loaded up on personnel.
In the second quarter, the Raptors, more settled both on defense and offense, began to distance themselves on the scoreboard (Filed as: Raptors vs Cavaliers).
Raptors dominate with tight defense
The intense defense on Mitchell and Harden nullified the Cavs’ offense, who had to be content with an 18% efficiency from the three-point line.
While Barrett and Walter on the Raptors scored 100% of the three-pointers they attempted in the period and raised their team’s percentage in that category to 56%.
At halftime, the Raptors enjoyed a comfortable ten-point lead, 61-51, with Barrett, Barnes and Walter leading all scorers.
In the third quarter, the Raptors reached their largest lead of 15 points, 80-65.
But from that moment on, Mitchell’s reaction and the accumulation of personalities in key players of the local team, such as Walter and Jamal Shead, began to take their toll.
(Filed under: Raptors vs Cavaliers).
Collapse, extension and final miracle
At the end of the third quarter, the Raptors were 11 points ahead, 92-81.
But in the final 12 minutes, Toronto’s offense collapsed, with a depleted Barnes, who had been on the court for 32 of the game’s 36 minutes up to that point.
Barnes, who had scored 18 points in the first three quarters, scored only five.
Worse was to come for Barrett, who finished the quarter without scoring.
At the end of regulation time, the score was tied at 104-104.
The series is tied 3-3
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In overtime, the Raptors’ offense was still not working.
But the defense, kept the Cavs at bay.
The visitors took a two-point lead, 106-108, with 1.36 minutes remaining.
The first time they took the lead from the first quarter.
With 26 seconds left, the lead was one point in favor of the visitors, 109-110.
The score remained unchanged until with one second remaining, Barrett soared from beyond the three line.
And, in a sequence reminiscent of Kawhi Leonard’s famous shot in the 2019 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals between the Raptors and 76ers, the ball went into the basket after bouncing off the rim.
(Filed under: Raptors vs Cavaliers).
With information from EFE
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