CLEVELAND – RJ Barrett thinks the Toronto Raptors need to do one key thing in Game 5 of their playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers: don’t fall behind.
The Cavaliers stormed out to an early 2-0 lead within the best-of-seven matchup when Cleveland hosted Games 1 and a pair of, with the Raptors tying it up with back-to-back wins in Toronto. However the Raptors needed to battle back in each those two wins at Scotiabank Arena after giving up results in the Cavaliers.
“I feel we now have to do a greater job of not getting down eight or 10,” Barrett said on the court at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena on Wednesday morning. “Those games at home, after all, it’s easier with the group and stuff to assist propel us to get back in the sport.
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“But on the road, we were in that position a bunch of times, down eight, down 10, after which with their crowd it could go the opposite way.”
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The Raptors tilted the series back of their favour by bogging down Cleveland’s offence, forcing all-star guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden into isolation plays within the half-court. Cleveland’s frontcourt — Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — was effective at grabbing offensive rebounds and keeping the Cavaliers’ possessions going, so Barrett would love to eliminate that element of the sport altogether.
“I feel limiting offensive rebounds can be huge,” he said. “We played good defence, so yeah, limiting them to 1 shot as much as possible once we could (will help).
“At this point, everybody’s made adjustments. It’s nearly who’s willing to go on the market and fight together.”
Second-year guard Ja’Kobe Walter, who’s playing in his first NBA playoff series, has been considered one of the Raptors guards tasked with slowing Mitchell. He expected Game 5 to be one other low-scoring slugfest like Toronto’s 83-89 win on Sunday.
“I feel it’s really going to be a battle,” said Mitchell before the Raptors morning shootaround began. “They’re going to return out with the mentality that they’ve got to match our physicality, after which we’re going include the mentality that we’ve got to punch them first within the mouth all 48 minutes.
“I feel it’s going to be a battle, loads of execution, loads of focus.”
Walter had been unwell between Games 2 and three, but he said he feels effective now and that it didn’t affect his play.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press