Toronto protected home court with a late-game push, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 at Scotiabank Arena in the Eastern Conference first round. The Raptors got it done at the line, on the glass, and in the final minute, where Scottie Barnes calmly knocked down free throws to close it out in front of 19,800 fans.

Barnes leads the way, Murray-Boyles muscles in

Scottie Barnes finished with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, adding 3 blocks and going 11/14 at the stripe. He hit multiple free throws in the final seconds, including the last two to set the final margin. His Sofascore Rating was 7.9, tied for the team high.

Collin Murray-Boyles brought energy and second-chance points, posting 15 points and 10 rebounds, 5 on the offensive end, with 3 assists and 5/7 free throws, also earning a 7.9 Sofascore Rating. RJ Barrett added 18 points and 8 boards, while Jakob Poeltl chipped in an efficient 10 points on 4/7 shooting.

The numbers that swung it

Toronto lived at the line and made it count: 27/36 free throws to Cleveland’s 15/23, a 12-point edge that covered a cold night from deep. The Raptors shot 4/30 from three, but made up for it with 21 offensive rebounds and an 11-5 advantage in steals.

Cleveland led for 33:18 of game time, yet Toronto had the better closing stretch. The Raptors also won the turnover battle 11-17 and finished with more assists 19-15 and blocks 8-5. Cleveland was whistled for 27 fouls, which kept Toronto in control of the free-throw math.

Cavaliers’ highlights and what held them back

Donovan Mitchell had 20 points and 6 rebounds, but went 6/24 from the field and 4/12 from three. James Harden ran the offense with 19 points and 8 assists, though his 7 turnovers hurt during key stretches.

Sam Merrill provided a needed spark off the bench with 14 points on 5/9 shooting, including 3/7 from deep. Jarrett Allen grabbed 15 rebounds, 6 offensive, and added 2 blocks, but scored just 3 points. Max Strus battled for 7 boards, yet shot 0/5 from three and finished with a 4.5 Sofascore Rating.

How the game flowed

Cleveland edged the first quarter 17-14, then Toronto flipped it by halftime, 38-36, on Brandon Ingram’s confident shooting from outside. The third stayed tight at 60-58 for the hosts. The fourth quarter finally opened up, with both teams trading threes before Toronto’s defense and free throws finished the job.

A big Donovan Mitchell three tied it at 74 in the fourth and a James Harden triple briefly put Cleveland in front. Toronto answered with drives and trips to the line, then Barnes sealed the win with two free throws in the final seconds.

On Sofascore, fans can dive into the full box score, player stats and Sofascore Ratings for every player from this NBA Playoffs matchup, plus live momentum charts and play-by-play that show exactly how Toronto closed it.