By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes each led the Toronto Raptors with 23 points to tie the series 2-2 after a 93-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon.
The Raptors had a terrible shooting day, shot 32 percent from the field and 13 percent from downtown. Toronto was trailing by eight with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. RJ Barrett made an important basket down the stretch. It was a tough shot, but it went in. Barrett finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and two steals.
The last couple of seconds came down to the Raptors’ incredible defense and free-throw shooting. Barnes made his free throws down the stretch. Aside from the 23 points, Barnes added 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks. The Raptors as a team had 8 blocks.
Collin Murray Boyles was huge for Toronto coming off the bench. Boyles scored 15 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 20 points, along with 6 rebounds, 4 three pointers, and 3 assists. Mitchell missed several opportunities down the stretch. James Harden had 19 points. Sam Merrill scored 14 points off the bench. Jarrett Allen recorded 15 rebounds. The Cavs only had three players in double figures.
The Cavs shot 37 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point shooting. In addition, they missed eight of their free throws. When teams miss free throws in the postseason, it can come back to haunt them. Max Strus had a quiet day, scoring only one point. The Cavs will need more production from him for the rest of the series.
Cleveland will go back home for Game 5, which will be on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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