Game ID: 42500133
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Toronto Raptors
Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
TOR 31 23 29 43 126CLE 25 29 27 23 104
CLE @ TOR ScoutingCLE @ TOR Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
TOR availability going into 4/10 · back-to-backBACK Quickley back 4/07 after 8, 20 min since (64% of 32)
NEW Walter 22 to 29 min over the last 5
TOR availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restBACK Quickley back 4/07 after 8, 20 min since (64% of 32)
NEW Walter 22 to 28 min over the last 5
TOR availability going into 4/18 · 5 days' restBACK Quickley back 4/07 after 8, 19 min since (60% of 32)
NEW Walter 22 to 27 min over the last 5
TOR availability going into 4/20 · 1 day's restBACK Quickley back 4/07 after 8, 19 min since (60% of 32)
NEW Walter 22 to 27 min over the last 5
TOR availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' restNEW Walter 22 to 27 min over the last 5
TOR availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' restNEW Shead 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Walter 22 to 27 min over the last 5
TOR availability going into 4/29 · 2 days' restNEW Shead 23 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Walter 22 to 27 min over the last 5
TOR availability going into 5/01 · 1 day's restOUT Dick missed 2 since 4/26, out tonight
NEW Barrett 31 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Shead 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Walter 22 to 29 min over the last 5
TOR availability going into 5/03 · 1 day's restOUT Dick missed 3 since 4/26, returns tonight: 0 min (3% of 14)
NEW Barnes 34 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Barrett 31 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Shead 23 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Murray-Boyles 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Walter 22 to 32 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 4/10 · 1 day's restOUT Tyson missed 10 since 3/21, returns tonight: 24 min (101% of 24)
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 4/06, out tonight
BACK Wade back 4/08 after 7, 21 min since (95% of 22)
NEW Ellis 20 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Nance Jr. 12 to 18 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restOUT Bryant missed 3 since 4/06, out tonight
BACK Tyson back 4/10 after 10, 24 min since (101% of 24)
BACK Wade back 4/08 after 7, 19 min since (86% of 22)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 22 min over the last 3
NEW Nance Jr. 12 to 20 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 4/18 · 5 days' restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 31 min (91% of 34)
OUT Allen missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 28 min (103% of 28)
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 21 min (83% of 25)
OUT Bryant missed 4 since 4/06, out tonight
BACK Tyson back 4/10 after 10, 25 min since (105% of 24)
BACK Wade back 4/08 after 7, 19 min since (86% of 22)
NEW Ellis 20 to 25 min over the last 4
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 23 min over the last 4
NEW Tomlin 14 to 23 min over the last 4
NEW Nance Jr. 12 to 20 min over the last 4
NEW Proctor 10 to 18 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 4/20 · 1 day's restOUT Bryant missed 5 since 4/06, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 4/18 after 2, 31 min since (91% of 34)
BACK Allen back 4/18 after 2, 28 min since (103% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 4/18 after 2, 21 min since (83% of 25)
BACK Tyson back 4/10 after 10, 21 min since (89% of 24)
BACK Wade back 4/08 after 7, 20 min since (91% of 22)
NEW Tomlin 14 to 20 min over the last 4
NEW Proctor 10 to 23 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' restOUT Bryant missed 6 since 4/06, returns tonight: 3 min (23% of 11)
OUT Proctor missed 2 since 4/18, returns tonight: 3 min (25% of 10)
BACK Mitchell back 4/18 after 2, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Allen back 4/18 after 2, 27 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 4/18 after 2, 20 min since (82% of 25)
BACK Tyson back 4/10 after 10, 19 min since (79% of 24)
BACK Wade back 4/08 after 7, 22 min since (100% of 22)
CLE availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' restBACK Mitchell back 4/18 after 2, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Allen back 4/18 after 2, 27 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 4/18 after 2, 20 min since (79% of 25)
BACK Tyson back 4/10 after 10, 18 min since (76% of 24)
BACK Bryant back 4/23 after 6, 3 min since (23% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 4/23 after 2, 3 min since (25% of 10)
CLE availability going into 4/29 · 2 days' restBACK Mitchell back 4/18 after 2, 34 min since (101% of 34)
BACK Allen back 4/18 after 2, 27 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 4/18 after 2, 19 min since (78% of 25)
BACK Bryant back 4/23 after 6, 3 min since (23% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 4/23 after 2, 3 min since (25% of 10)
CLE availability going into 5/01 · 1 day's restOUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 4/26, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 2 since 4/26, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 4/26, out tonight
OUT Proctor missed 2 since 4/26, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 4/18 after 2, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Allen back 4/18 after 2, 26 min since (95% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 4/18 after 2, 20 min since (81% of 25)
BACK Bryant back 4/23 after 6, 4 min since (33% of 11)
CLE availability going into 5/03 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 2 since 4/29, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 4/26, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 3 since 4/26, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 3 since 4/26, out tonight
OUT Proctor missed 3 since 4/26, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 4/23 after 6, 5 min since (44% of 11)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; Barrett at 24 and Ingram at 21 a game. 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Harden at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Toronto wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Toronto 116, Cleveland 115, Cleveland keeping it close.
4/10 @ NYK 95-112 — TOR notes
TOR lost 95-112. TOR shot 49% (36 of 73) to NYK's 55%, 10 of 25 from three, and got to the line 20 times to NYK's 27. TOR turned it over 17 times to NYK's 10, and NYK turned those into 10 steals. Mamukelashvili led with 17 (5 of 9, 3 of 6 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Ingram added 16, Barnes 15. Q3 was theirs, 28-28, but the other 3 periods went 84-67 against them. Walter's -20 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/12 vs BKN 136-101 — TOR notes
TOR won 136-101. TOR shot 64% (51 of 80) to BKN's 41%, 12 of 27 from three. TOR turned it over 10 times to BKN's 15. Barrett led with 26 (9 of 15, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Ingram added 25, Barnes 18. The hinge was Q4, 36-17: a lead of 16 became 35, and the lead reached 38. Barnes was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
4/18 @ CLE 113-126 — TOR notes
TOR lost 113-126. TOR shot 52% (37 of 71) to CLE's 54%, 13 of 27 from three, and went to the line 35 times to CLE's 28 — 26 points from the stripe to their 22. Barrett led with 24 (7 of 13, 3 of 6 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Barnes added 21, Ingram 17. Q4 was theirs, 37-29, the deficit cut from 21 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 97-76 against them. Barnes's -22 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/20 @ CLE 105-115 — TOR notes
TOR lost 105-115. TOR shot 51% (42 of 83) to CLE's 53%, 7 of 26 from three. TOR turned it over 22 times to CLE's 12, and CLE turned those into 13 steals. Barnes led with 26 (11 of 19, 1 of 4 from three); Barrett added 22, Murray-Boyles 17. Q2 was theirs, 29-28, the deficit cut from 7 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 87-76 against them. Barnes's -17 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/23 vs CLE 126-104 — TOR notes
TOR won 126-104. TOR shot 57% (50 of 87) to CLE's 44%, 14 of 23 from three. TOR turned it over 11 times to CLE's 20. Barrett led with 33 (12 of 19, 6 of 8 from three, 3 of 7 at the line); Barnes added 33, Murray-Boyles 22. The hinge was Q4, 43-23: a lead of 2 became 22, and the lead reached 25. Barrett was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
4/26 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 55 percent and 44 from three, 24 free throws a game; Barrett at 26 and Barnes at 23 a game. 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Harden at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the arc, Toronto at 44 percent from three to Cleveland's 36 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-5 a night and Toronto minus-1. Call it Toronto 117, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
4/29 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Harden at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Toronto comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 107, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 28 free throws a game; Barrett at 25 and Barnes at 24 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-5 a night and Toronto plus-0. Call it Cleveland 114, Toronto 112, Toronto keeping it close.
5/01 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Barrett at 24 and Barnes at 24 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 23 and Harden at 22 a game. Without Porter Jr. (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Toronto has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-2. Call it Toronto 114, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
5/03 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 22 and Harden at 21 a game. Without Ellis (2 straight), Porter Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest. Toronto comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Barnes at 25 and Barrett at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 113, Toronto 112, Toronto keeping it close.
4/10 @ ATL 102-124 — CLE notes
CLE lost 102-124. CLE shot 45% (39 of 86) to ATL's 48%, 7 of 27 from three, and got to the line 18 times to ATL's 25. CLE turned it over 19 times to ATL's 11, and ATL turned those into 12 steals. Harden led with 20 (6 of 13, 2 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Tyson added 15, Proctor 15. Q4 was theirs, 37-28, the deficit cut from 31 to 22, but the other 3 periods went 96-65 against them. Harden's -34 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/12 vs WAS 130-117 — CLE notes
CLE won 130-117. CLE shot 54% (48 of 89) to WAS's 47%, 18 of 43 from three. CLE turned it over 19 times to WAS's 12, and WAS turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 53-30 for them. Tomlin led with 26 (9 of 16, 4 of 8 from three); Proctor added 22, Tyson 18. The hinge was Q1, 43-21: from level to 22 ahead, and the lead reached 25. Sarr was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
4/18 vs TOR 126-113 — CLE notes
CLE won 126-113. CLE shot 54% (44 of 81) to TOR's 52%, 16 of 32 from three, and got to the line 28 times to TOR's 35. Mitchell led with 32 (11 of 20, 4 of 7 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Strus added 24, Harden 22. The hinge was Q3, 36-22: a lead of 7 became 21, and the lead reached 24. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
4/20 vs TOR 115-105 — CLE notes
CLE won 115-105. CLE shot 53% (44 of 83) to TOR's 51%, 13 of 40 from three. CLE turned it over 12 times to TOR's 22. Mitchell led with 30 (13 of 23, 4 of 10 from three); Harden added 28, Mobley 25. The hinge was Q1, 26-19: from level to 7 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
4/23 @ TOR 104-126 — CLE notes
CLE lost 104-126. CLE shot 44% (36 of 81) to TOR's 57%, 14 of 45 from three. CLE turned it over 20 times to TOR's 11, and TOR turned those into 11 steals. Harden led with 18 (5 of 13, 3 of 10 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Mobley added 15, Mitchell 15. Q2 was theirs, 29-23, the deficit cut from 6 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 103-75 against them. Allen's -22 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/26 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 55 percent and 44 from three, 24 free throws a game; Barrett at 26 and Barnes at 23 a game. 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Harden at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the arc, Toronto at 44 percent from three to Cleveland's 36 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-5 a night and Toronto minus-1. Call it Toronto 117, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
4/29 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Harden at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Toronto comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 107, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 28 free throws a game; Barrett at 25 and Barnes at 24 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-5 a night and Toronto plus-0. Call it Cleveland 114, Toronto 112, Toronto keeping it close.
5/01 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Barrett at 24 and Barnes at 24 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 23 and Harden at 22 a game. Without Porter Jr. (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Toronto has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-2. Call it Toronto 114, Cleveland 113, Cleveland keeping it close.
5/03 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 22 and Harden at 21 a game. Without Ellis (2 straight), Porter Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest. Toronto comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Barnes at 25 and Barrett at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 113, Toronto 112, Toronto keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DM D. Mitchell
DS D. Schröder
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
JA J. Allen
JH J. Harden
JT J. Tyson
KE K. Ellis
MS M. Strus
NT N. Tomlin
SM S. Merrill
TB T. Bryant
TP T. Proctor
TORAL A. Lawson
BI B. Ingram
CM C. Murray-Boyles
GT G. Temple
JB J. Battle
JM J. Mogbo
JP J. Poeltl
JS J. Shead
JW J. Walter
RB R. Barrett
SB S. Barnes
SM S. Mamukelashvili
TJ T. Jackson-Davis
CLE/TOR the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Barnes, Barrett each score 33 as Raptors beat Cavaliers 126-104 to cut series deficit to 2-1
TORONTO -- — Scottie Barnes set career playoff highs with 33 points and 11 assists, RJ Barrett added a career playoff-high 33 points and the Toronto Raptors beat Cleveland 126-104 on Thursday night, snapping a 12-game playoff losing streak against the Cavaliers.
Collin Murray-Boyles had 22 points, Jamison Battle scored all of his 14 points in the final quarter and Brandon Ingram added 12 as the Raptors cut Cleveland’s lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series to 2-1.
Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Toronto.
“We knew we needed everybody for this win and you've seen some big performances from everybody,” Barnes said. “It just goes to show how resilient, how bad we wanted it. We went out there and tried to do whatever it took.”
Barnes had five rebounds and shot 11 for 17, making 3 of 5 from distance and going 8 for 10 at the line. He had three fouls at halftime but didn’t pick up another the rest of the way.
“He did everything for us tonight,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said.
Murray-Boyles is the first Raptors rookie to score 20 or more in a playoff game.
“He's not afraid of the moment,” Barrett said.
Up 83-81 after three quarters, Toronto pulled away by shooting 8 for 9 from 3–point range in the fourth, outscoring Cleveland 43-23. Battle went 4 for 4 from long range in the final period.
Barrett finished 6 for 8 from distance.
The Cavaliers matched the NBA postseason record for consecutive victories against a single opponent by winning Game 2 on Monday but couldn’t extend that run in Toronto.
James Harden scored 18 points while Donovan Mitchell , Evan Mobley and Max Strus all had 15.
Harden shot 5 for 13, going 3 for 10 from long range.
“They did a heck of a job,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said of Toronto's defense on Harden. “They made him work.”
Mitchell shot 7 for 16 and went 1 for 7 from distance, while Mobley shot 4 for 13 and missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
Jaylon Tyson scored 13 points and Jarrett Allen had 12.
Toronto scored 23 points off 22 Cleveland turnovers.
Cleveland’s streak of playoff wins against Toronto began in the 2016 Eastern Conference finals, when the Cavaliers won the final three games. Cleveland swept Toronto in the second round in both 2017 and 2018.
Cleveland also has 12-game postseason winning streaks against Detroit and Atlanta. The Los Angeles Lakers won 12 consecutive playoff games against Seattle from 1980 through 1989.
Toronto guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring) remained out.