Toronto Raptors' RJ Barrett (9) celebrates a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers with Jamison Battle (77) during second half NBA playoff basketball action in Toronto on Thursday, April 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

By The Canadian Press

Career Highs: Barnes, Barrett and Murray-Boyles power Raptors to 126-104 rout of Cavs

Apr 23, 2026 | 7:39 PM

TORONTO — When the Toronto Raptors had their morning shootaround at OVO Athletic Centre they spoke about how hungry they were to make it a series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That desire paid off with easily their best game of the 2026 playoffs.

Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Collin Murray-Boyles all reached new playoff highs as Toronto routed Cleveland 126-104 on Thursday in Game 3 of their first-round NBA series. The Cavaliers still hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“We were going to do whatever it takes,” said Barnes, who had a double-double. “We knew we needed everybody for this win. You’ve seen some big performances from everybody.

“It just goes to show how resilient we are, how badly we wanted it, going out there and trying to do whatever it took.”

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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.

“We’ve got a lot more. We’ve got to keep making adjustments, go back and watch the film, see what we can get better at. We’ve got so much we can get better at. We’ve got a long way to go.”

Barrett, from 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.

“I think a night like tonight was good to give us some confidence and just show that we’re here, we’re in this series,” said Barrett. “When we played how we did today, everybody together, everybody playing hard, locked in on the game plan, we can make some noise.”

Murray-Boyles had 22 points, the most ever by a Raptors rookie in a playoff game. He pulled down eight boards in his first post-season appearance at Scotiabank Arena, with a steal and a block.

Toronto forced 22 turnovers for 23 points. Five of those turnovers happened in the 28 minutes that Murray-Boyles was on the court as he finished the game with a plus-21 defensive rating.

“I’ve been trying to get more aggressive,” said Murray-Boyles. “We’ve been working on it, just attacking their bigs when they’re sagging off. Just try to take up that space as much as possible, to limit their rim protection.”

Barrett and Barnes’s high-scoring performances were necessary as Toronto’s other starters struggled.

All-star forward Brandon Ingram managed 12 points as his scoring touch eluded him for another game. Centre Jakob Poeltl had eight points and six rebounds and Ja’Kobe Walter, inserted into the lineup two hours before tipoff for the ailing Immanuel Quickley, had no points but two rebounds.

Quickley was held out for the third consecutive game as he recovers from a strained right hamstring.

Murray-Boyles said that although it was a dominant Raptors win, it wasn’t a complete game.

“We’ve just been trying to find a game plan on how to make it easier for us and make it harder for them. We did a little bit of that tonight,” he said. “A lot of things we have to fix, a lot of hiccups, but this is a really good game.

“Lot of film to watch. See what we did right, what we need to work on.”

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.

“We didn’t expect to win 16 games in a row,” said Harden. “The guys are frustrated. I get it, we’re supposed to be.

“Find a way to weather the storm, figure it out and be better for Game 4.”

The series continues on Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena, with Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena.

Barnes hit a 16-foot jump shot 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 Cavaliers’ timeout didn’t slow the Raptors’ momentum, as they reeled off an 8-2 run when play resumed for a 17-point lead.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press