The Toronto Raptors forced a Game 7 in their first-round NBA playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning 112-110 in overtime on Friday with arguably the most fortuitous bounce of RJ Barrett’s career.
His 3-point shot with 1.2 seconds remaining bounced straight up off the heel of the rim then dropped down through the basket for the go-ahead score.
The home team has won each game in this series, leaving the Cavs to hope that pattern continues on Sunday.
After battling back to tie the game and send it to overtime, Cleveland took a 108-106 lead in the extra period on a James Harden jumper in the lane. But Toronto answered with a floater by Scottie Barnes for the tie.
The first quarter was a standoff with both teams trading leads eight times and tied at 32-32 after the Raptors scored the final six points of the frame. Cleveland shot 63%, while Toronto hit 57% of its shots.
However, the Raptors scored the first seven points of the second quarter, giving them a 13-2 run to take a five-point lead. Toronto built that lead up to 61-51 with a barrage of 3-pointers, two of them from Ja’Kobe Walter and capped off by Jamal Shead in the final minute before halftime.
The Raptors shot 50% (9-for-18) on their 3-point shots in the half, while the Cavaliers went 28% (5-of-18) from behind the arc. Cleveland also committed 10 turnovers, helping fuel Toronto’s surge.
Cavaliers finally broke through in fourth quarter
In the third quarter, the Cavaliers couldn’t cut their deficit to less than nine points. The Raptors answered each time to push their lead back up to double digits. But Cleveland finally got over that hurdle in the fourth with a Dean Wade 3 trimming Toronto’s lead to 96-88. Mitchell then hit his second 3-pointer of the game and followed that up with a fast-break layup to cut the Raptors’ lead to 96-93 with 6:54 remaining.
Toronto coach Darko Rajaković called a timeout, but Murray-Boyles missed a shot on the next possession. He made up for that by blocking Jarrett Allen at the other end, but Mobley recovered the shot and got a dunk to make it a 96-95 score.
The Cavs had three opportunities to seize the lead, but couldn’t knock down the go-ahead shot. That included a Mitchell stepback 3-point try with 42.4 seconds left that rattled in and out.
A missed Barrett 3-pointer and shot-clock violation by Toronto gave Cleveland an opportunity to tie or take the lead. Mobley didn’t squander that chance, getting a finger roll in the lane for a 104-104 score. The Raptors had the last shot of regulation with 11.6 seconds remaining but Jamal Shead missed a midrange fadeaway.
Toronto played without Brandon Ingram, who re-aggravated a right heel injury in Game 5’s 125-120 defeat. He averaged 12 points and 3.2 rebounds in the series, shooting 39% from 3-point range. The Raptors were already shorthanded due to Immanuel Quickley missing the entire series with a strained right hamstring.
The victor of this series will face the winner of the other Game 7 of the first round. The Detroit Pistons pushed their matchup with the Orlando Magic to a do-or-die game with an improbable comeback from a 24-point deficit and 93-79 win on Friday.
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