The Toronto Raptors pulled off a surprising Game 4 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers despite an extremely poor shooting night, missing 26 of their 30 attempts from beyond the arc and finishing at just 32.0% overall.
According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN, no team in playoff history had ever managed to win under those conditions.
The unusual result matched the impact of Scottie Barnes, whose performance stood out even without efficient scoring.
Barnes went 6-for-15 from the field and missed all three of his attempts from deep, yet he either scored or assisted on 35 of Toronto’s 93 points while making a major impact defensively across the floor.
After earning his second All-Star selection this season and averaging 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, along with finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Barnes has elevated his play even further in this series, as noted by Michael Grange from Sportsnet.
Though not widely expected to be the top performer in the matchup, he has taken on that role through four games.
“He’s just a winning player, man,” said teammate RJ Barrett.
“He scores, he moves the ball, he rebounds, he defends, he does everything out there. He has a killer mentality, but I think the biggest thing right now is he is playing with force, he’s really making the defence have to guard him.”
Atlantic Notes: Barnes, Pritchard, Stevens, Maxey https://t.co/NzO5i6lQ5e
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 28, 2026
