TORONTO – Scottie Barnes had a double-double as the Toronto Raptors routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-104 on Thursday in Game 3 of their first-round NBA playoff series.
Cleveland leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Barnes scored a career playoff high 33 points, including 13 in the third quarter, adding 11 assists and five rebounds in a masterful performance on both ends of the court.
RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., also hit a career playoff high with 33 points, adding five rebounds and five assists. He went 6 for 8 from three-point range.
Backup centre Collin Murray-Boyles had 22 points, the most ever by a Raptors rookie in a playoff game. He pulled down eight boards.
James Harden led the Cavaliers with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. Reserve swingman Max Strus had 15 points on four three-pointers and Evan Mobley had 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Game 4 is back at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday afternoon.
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Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley was held out for the third consecutive game as he recovers from a strained right hamstring. Ja’Kobe Walter started in his stead, getting two rebounds in 26 minutes of play.
Barrett had 11 points in the first quarter, making all three of his three-point attempts in the period. Barnes added 10 as Toronto held a 31-25 lead after 12 minutes, even as Walter and starting centre Jakob Poeltl were without any points.
It was also the first lead the Raptors had held in the series since Game 1’s first quarter.
Strus made a big difference for Cleveland in the second quarter, making three of five three-pointers and a total of 12 points as the Cavaliers tied it 54-54 by intermission.
Toronto’s shooting cooled off in the second quarter, going from 70.6 per cent on field-goal attempts and making all five of its three-pointers in the first quarter to 40.9 per cent on field goals and 1 for 5 on threes.
Barnes hit a 16-foot jumpshot as time expired in the third for an 83-81 lead. It was his 31st point of the game, having already surpassed his playoff high earlier in the quarter.
It was Murray-Boyles’s period, however. He had six points, three rebounds, a block and a steal in a little over six minutes of play time.
Barrett drilled a 23-foot three-pointer with 5:41 left in the game to cap a tidy 7-3 run that put the Raptors ahead by 11, their biggest lead of the game to that point. Barrett skipped to centre court, flexing, as Cleveland called a timeout to regroup.
The three-pointer gave Toronto a 96.8-per cent likelihood of winning the game.
The Cavaliers’ timeout didn’t slow the Raptors’ momentum, as they reeled off an 8-2 run when play resumed for a 17-point lead.
Toronto didn’t look back after that, guaranteeing the series would go at least five games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
