Raptors force Game 7 with RJ Barrett miracle three, Barnes brilliance

Memories of 2014 and 2019 wafted through a frenzied Scotiabank Arena.

Get the latest from Ryan Wolstat straight to your inbox

Published May 01, 2026  •  5 minute read

RJ Barrett #9 of the Toronto Raptors celebrates after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-110 in Game Six of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on May 01, 2026 in Toronto. Photo by Cole Burston /Getty Images

They’re off to Game 7.

Article content

On a night that felt like 2014. On a night that felt like 2019, RJ Barrett got a kind bounce, the kind Kawhi Leonard once received here, and won Game 6 in overtime, forcing a third trip to Cleveland, for all the marbles after a 112-110 win.

Article content

Article content

All seemed lost after Jamal Shead split two free throws, giving Cleveland the ball up one with 18.8 seconds left. But with the Cavaliers trying to evade a forced foul, the Raptors stunningly forced a turnover out of bounds to get possession. back.
Back in 2014 the building had been shaking as the upstart Raptors took the veteran Brooklyn Nets to the edge of Game 7 following a long playoff absence. These more recent Raptors hadn’t been to the playoffs in a while either.

Barrett launched a long three-pointer and it looked off, hitting rim and bouncing way up in the air — only to fall through the mesh with 1.2 seconds remaining. Shades of Leonard’s shot for the ages in Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019.
This team is writing a new story.

Article content

Article content

“Gonna go to Cleveland, and Toronto, we’ll be back real soon,” said Scottie Barnes to the crowd, after yet another superstar level performance.

Barnes had 25 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds. Barrett had 24 points and nine rebounds, young Ja’Kobe Walter 24 and even younger Collin Murray-Boyles 17.

Cleveland was on the back foot nearly all evening, until making its fourth quarter and overtime pushes.
Without Brandon Ingram or Immanuel Quickley, the Raptors who were still standing dug deep and pushed with all they had. It was enough.

“It’s team. It cannot be, ‘Oh, we’re going to designate one player to (replace Ingram),” head coach Darko Rajakovic had said before the game began.

“As you can see the whole series, every game is different and you have different players to step up in different moments in the game. Those type of games, they always find a hero of the game. For us in Game 3, that was Jamison Battle. For them last game it was Dennis Schroder. Hopefully tonight, it’s somebody on our side,” Rajakovic had said.

Article content

“Grit. Who wants it more? Who’s more desperate in the game tonight? … Who wants it more? It has to be who’s going to hit first? Who’s going to go for a rebound, who’s going to keep those 50-50 balls alive. We have to be that team tonight,” Rajakovic had declared.

Turns out it was the Raptors.

YOUNG RAPTORS STEP UP

It wasn’t a surprise to see Ingram ruled out after the Raptors had changed his status from questionable to doubtful earlier in the day.

“Brandon is out. His heel is pretty sore,” Rajakovic said before the game when asked if a Willis Reed moment was incoming.

The coach tried to take solace in his team’s ability to overcome absences over the course of the regular season (and playoffs, with Immanuel Quickley unavailable in the series at all) and hoped it would continue.

“I think the most important thing is how we react in those situations. And over the course of season, we were missing different players at different times, and the quality and strength of this team is finding ways for somebody else to step up and to fill in the role and to help the team,” Rajakovic said.

Article content

“Obviously, missing two starters in IQ and BI is a lot. But at the same time, we have enough players on this roster and enough depth on this roster to continue going fighting and then trying to get a win tonight.”

Rajakovic again started Walter in place of Quickley, but also went with Shead, who had started one game in the series, moving Barnes to less of a point guard role.

Walter and Shead were both solid in the first half, Walter moreso offensively, Shead defensively. At one point late in the half Shead stole the ball and found Walter for his third three-pointer to that point.

The play of the two youngsters, plus rookie Collin Murray-Boyles in the series, bodes extremely well for Toronto’s future. How they’d fare in big games was unknown entering, but it turns out it was better than anyone associated with the Raptors could have hoped.

They weren’t intimidated, didn’t change their games, just went out and competed hard.

CAVS STARS DIDNT STAR

Cleveland’s two superstars were again mostly underwhelming. Mitchell was invisible until the fourth really, while Harden never looked like his all-star self.

Article content

The duo had all kinds of turnovers and missed shots, especially in the first half.

But Mobley was again fantastic, after he’d helped win Game 5 for Cleveland with his outside shooting and defence, Dean Wade was good off the bench and Jarrett Allen outplayed Jakob Poeltl after getting schooled a bit by Poeltl in the previous game.

A huge rebounding advantage, one of the keys from their head coach Kenny Atkinson heading into the game, kept Cleveland in the game.

“I think it starts with the possession game, the rebounding battle above all. You know, winning that on both ends,” Atkinson said, noting the Raptors were given too many second chances in the last game because they did so well on the boards.

That wasn’t the case in this one. It got even worse in overtime, with the Cavaliers grabbing one offensive rebound after another.

FRANTIC FINISH

It was a wild ending to regulation. Toronto was up 100-99 with a little over two minutes remaining on the clock. But then Walter blocked a shot and followed with a three-pointer to send the crowd into near hysterics.

Article content

But Mobley quieted them with a three-pointer to make it 103-102 with 1:42 remaining.

Barnes then attacked the rim, earning a trip to the free throw line, but split the two attempts. After a Cavaliers three-point attempt missed, as did an attempt after an offensive rebound, Toronto had a chance to seal it, but Barrett missed a tough look. Mobley muscled his way inside to tie the game with 11.6 seconds remaining.

The Raptors again put the ball in the hands of Barnes, but he was smothered by Cleveland defenders and passed out to  Shead. A tough, double pump attempt from the corner did not fall, forcing overtime.

AROUND THE RIM

Meanwhile, in Florida, Orlando looked to be in good shape to complete a stunning upset over top-seed Detroit, but then missed 17 shots in a row. That allowed the Pistons to seize control and force a Game 7 at home Sunday. The winner will face the Cleveland-Toronto winner … Harden fell to an NBA-worst 4-13 in Game 6’s.

Article content