Seven years ago, Kawhi Leonard sent the Toronto Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals with a game-winning shot that took a fortunate bounce through the hoop. Friday night, RJ Barrett kept the Raptors alive in the first round with his own improbable bounce.
Barrett hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in overtime, and the Raptors forced a Game 7 with a 112-110 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Toronto had scored just 17 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, but they got the basket and the bounce they needed to avoid elimination.
RJ Barrett, Toronto Raptors took advantage of a mistake
While Barrett’s shot got a fortunate bounce, it was the Raptors’ frantic defense that forced a turnover that gave them the opportunity to win the game in the first place. Thanks to energetic defense from rookie Collin Murray-Boyles and third-year guard A.J. Lawson, the Raptors forced Dennis Schroder to turn the ball over with a one-point lead.
Barrett, a Toronto native, hit his fourth three-pointer of the game to finish with 24 points. The shot capped a gutty win where the short-handed Raptors forced 18 Cavaliers turnovers, got steals from seven different players and got 14 assists, three steals and three blocks from Scottie Barnes.
After the clutch turnover, the Raptors needed a big shot — and some very forgiving spin on Barrett’s miracle.