Cavs crumble down stretch, Raptors tie series

TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes hit the go-ahead free throws in the final minute and finished with 23 points, Brandon Ingram also scored 23 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89 on Sunday, tying the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at two games apiece. The best-of-seven series shifts to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday. "Now it's a best of three," Cavaliers guard James Harden said. RJ Barrett scored 18 points and Collin Murray-Boyles had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who won despite shooting 4 for 30 from 3-point range. "We're just trying to go out there and win, take it one possession at a time," Barnes said. "That's all we're focussing on." Barnes had nine rebounds and six assists as Toronto won back-to-back postseason games for the first time since a first-round loss to Philadelphia in 2022. "We just never, never flinched," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. "We continued guarding and guarding." Donovan Mitchell scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Harden added 19, but the Cavaliers couldn't overcome an 18-turnover performance. "There's no doubt they've had the physicality advantage, the energy advantage these last two games," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said of Toronto. "Usually happens with the home team, gets that bump. We've got to turn it back around. That's how the playoffs go." Mitchell missed two shots in the final 25 seconds, including a 3-pointer that would have tied the game. He finished 6 for 24 overall and made 4 of 12 shots from deep. "I got some open looks tonight and they just didn't fall," Mitchell said. Sam Merrill scored 14 points and Jarrett Allen had 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were outscored 10-2 in the final 1:54 of the fourth. "We had an opportunity tonight to win the game," Harden said. "We're definitely confident about where we are." After Barrett's driving shot cut the deficit to 87-86 with 49 seconds left in the fourth, Mitchell couldn't get the ball across half court in time, giving possession to Toronto. "I made a mistake in a crucial moment," Mitchell said. Barnes was fouled as he drove to the basket and made both, giving the Raptors an 88-87 lead with 34 seconds left. With NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in attendance, both teams struggled from 3-point range. Cleveland finished 10 for 40 from deep, including 5 of 10 in the fourth. The Raptors missed 14 consecutive 3-point attempts to open the game before Barrett connected with 8:31 left in the first half. Ingram missed nine of his first 10 attempts but finished the half by making three straight, including a buzzer-beating 3 that gave Toronto a 38-36 lead at the intermission. Harden had more turnovers (six) than made baskets (four) in the opening half, while Mitchell shot 3 for 15 through three quarters. "Our defense gave us a chance," Mitchell said. "Offensively, I wasn't great. We weren't hitting shots but our defense was solid. We can build on that and continue to hang our hat there and the offense will come around." ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba