TORONTO – It’s time for Toronto Raptors all-stars Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes to step up and so they understand it.
Ingram and Barnes will probably be centre stage when the Raptors begin their first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon. Ingram, who was Toronto’s top scorer within the regular season, said that after six days off between games he’ll be prepared for the intensity of the post-season.
“I’m able to be effective in any way that I might be, whether it’s offensively or defensively,” said Ingram at OVO Athletic Centre, the Raptors’ practice facility. “But, in some unspecified time in the future in the sport, you’ve got to provide it to your best players and allow them to go make a play.
“I’ll be ready.”
Barnes’s 18.1 points per game were the third most for Toronto behind RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., who scored 19.3. More importantly, the six-foot-eight Barnes is the Raptors’ defensive linchpin, guarding all five positions.
“I feel like I’m great defensively, I help our team so much, and I’m top-of-the-line defenders within the NBA,” said Barnes, who led Toronto with 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. “I take pride in that and that’s all the time been me from once I first began.
“That’s where my energy comes from and that’s what I take pride in each time I step onto the ground.”
Related Videos
The Raptors (46-36) snuck up into fifth place within the Eastern Conference in the ultimate game of the regular season, organising the first-round matchup with the fourth-place Cavaliers (50-32).
Get breaking National news
Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox because it happens so you will not miss a trending story.
Something of a styles clash, Cleveland has a high-powered offence that may rating from any position. Guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are top-tier isolation players, while forwards Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley can defend and rating.
Toronto plays an uptempo, physical style that emphasizes defence with heavy rotations to create mismatches with Barnes, rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles and veteran centre Jakob Poeltl the nucleus.
“I like our possibilities and what we are able to do on the market on the ground,” said Barnes. “I believe we are able to do an incredible job of using our physicality on this series. I feel like our guards can do an incredible job of putting pressure on their guards.
“Just with the ability to match their physicality, rebounding, with the ability to take it to the rim. After which BI on the market, he’s going to do his thing.”
Ingram said he’s excited to interrupt down the Cavaliers’ defence, led by Mobley, the 2025 Defensive Player of the Yr.
“I believe the benefit of this (series) is there’s no back to backs,” said Ingram. “You play one game and also you see all the pieces they did or all the pieces that they were attempting to take away, and you then just write up one other game plan and see if it’s successful.
“I’m excited for that, to exit and simply to see how we are able to outsmart them.”
Neither Ingram nor Barnes have ever won an NBA playoff series.
Ingram’s Latest Orleans Pelicans lost in the primary round to the Phoenix Suns in 2022 and were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024. Barnes’s only playoff appearance was Toronto’s last post-season run when the Raptors lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in 2022.
“They’ve been playing basketball their whole lives, they’ve been playing for this big stage,” said Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic. “I know the way much this team cares about this moment within the season and the way hard they work to be on this position and to qualify for the playoffs directly. Those guys are going to do all the pieces possible to be very competitive.
“We don’t control our end result. We control our preparation. We control what we do possession by possession and that’s how we’re going to approach this series.”
TALE OF THE TAPE
Regular-season series: 3-0 for Toronto
Points for per game: Toronto, 114.6 (twenty first); Cleveland, 119.5 (fourth)
Points against per game: Toronto, 111.8 (ninth); Cleveland, 115.4 (fifteenth)
Top points: Toronto, Ingram 21.5 per game; Cleveland, Mitchell 27.9 per game
Top assists: Toronto, Immanuel Quickley 5.9 per game; Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell 5.7 per game
Top rebounds: Toronto, Barnes 7.5 per game; Cleveland, Evan Mobley, nine per game
The massive stat: That is the fourth time the Raptors and Cavaliers have ever met within the playoffs, with Cleveland winning the three previous series. Every Cavs win had all-time great LeBron James playing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press