TORONTO — RJ Barrett mentioned he had hassle sleeping the night time earlier than Thursday night time’s Recreation 3. A Toronto native, he mentioned he was excited fascinated with taking part in his first house playoff recreation and anticipating the duty at hand for the Raptors after dropping the primary two video games of the collection.
Barrett responded, as each he and Scottie Barnes every scored 33 factors to steer Toronto to a 126-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Recreation 3 of their first-round playoff collection. The 33 factors had been a profession playoff excessive for each gamers.
“An evening like tonight was good to construct some confidence and simply present that we’re right here,” Barrett mentioned after the sport. “We’re on this collection. After we play like how we did right now, everyone collectively, everyone’s taking part in exhausting, locked in on the sport plan, we are able to make some noise.”
Cleveland nonetheless leads the collection 2-1 with Recreation 4 on Sunday afternoon in Toronto, however the Raptors put collectively their greatest efficiency of the collection in Recreation 3.
They shot 61% (14-of-23) from 3 and bought key contributions from the bench — Collin Murray-Boyles set a group rookie report with 22 factors as a reserve and Jamison Battle hit 4 3’s after not showing within the first two video games of the collection. However the Raptors had been carried by the performances of Barrett, who went 6-of-8 from 3, and Barnes, who added 11 assists and 5 rebounds.
They grew to become the third Raptors duo to every rating 30 factors in a playoff recreation, becoming a member of Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry through the 2019 playoff run and Lowry and DeMar DeRozan in 2016.
“We began off the day actually constructive, hungry, actually desirous to win,” Barnes mentioned. “We wish to do no matter it takes. … We knew we wanted everyone for this win. You have seen some huge performances from everyone. So, it simply goes to indicate how resilient, how unhealthy we needed it.”
In Recreation 2, the Cavs trio of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley every scored no less than 25 factors, however the Raptors held every of them beneath that mark on Thursday. Mitchell scored 15 on 7-of-16 taking pictures, Harden had 18 factors on 5-of-13 taking pictures with eight turnovers and Mobley had 15 factors on 4-of-13 taking pictures.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic credited his protection’s self-discipline for Cleveland’s poor taking pictures night time but additionally credited Barnes for stepping as much as defend each Harden and Mitchell.
“He did all the things for us tonight,” Rajakovic mentioned.
Barnes added: “These guys are actually gifted scorers. They will rating in so many various methods by attacking, stepbacks, taking part in in ISOs, driving to the rim, getting foul calls. You simply bought to attempt to be bodily, present our bodies. Actually all you may attempt to do and simply attempt to play tremendous exhausting. And I feel our guys did a fantastic job of serving to one another.”
The rating was tied at halftime and the Raptors had solely a two-point benefit going into the fourth quarter. However Toronto closed the sport by outscoring Cleveland 43-23 within the fourth quarter, punctuating a victory for a raucous house crowd.
“That was nice,” Barrett mentioned. “Power within the constructing was loopy. Positively helped us out rather a lot and we simply performed exhausting, man. We performed exhausting. That is the consequence.”
