Toronto Raptors' Jamison Battle (77) is congratulated by teammates on the bench during second half NBA playoff basketball action against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Toronto on Thursday, April 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

By The Canadian Press

Reserve guard Jamison Battle ‘stays ready’ as Raptors look to even series with Cavs

Apr 24, 2026 | 6:13 AM

TORONTO — Jamison Battle knows exactly who he is.

He’s not the all-star, not a starter. He’s the guy who comes off the bench and exploits tired defenders.

Battle scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter of the Toronto Raptors’ 126-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. He made all five of his field-goal attempts, with four of them coming from beyond the three-point arc.

That offensive explosion helped the Raptors outscore Cleveland 43-23 in the quarter.

“The biggest thing is just being ready, staying ready, and that’s what I’ve been doing all season,” Battle told reporters after the game. “I understand that’s what it’s going to take for me to stick in this league.

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“I think that’s the biggest thing is just staying ready, putting in all the work, watching all the film and just trusting in my ability and trusting in my teammates to put me in the right positions. I think that’s what happened tonight.”

It’s not the first time this season that Battle has gone off against the Cavaliers. He had 20 points in Toronto’s 112-101 win in Cleveland on Oct. 31, making all six of his three-point attempts.

“We know what he brings to our team, from shooting, stretching the floor, playing without the ball, cutting, moving, he brings a lot of intangibles to our team,” said head coach Darko Rajakovic. “This is not first time that he’s played (limited minutes) and then coming in and changing the game.

“He did an outstanding job tonight.”

Battle said on Thursday that the Raptors “great atmosphere” is a place where he can thrive.

“I tell people all the time that we kind of have a college-type locker room where guys are hanging out with each other and we get along so well,” said Battle. “The people we have in this locker room — from players to coaches to sports staff — we all get along and we’re all one big family.

“I think that shows when we play on the court and with how we represent the organization.”

At OVO Athletic Centre, the Raptors practice facility, every shot is tracked. Its speed, trajectory, where it hit the rim, who shot it.

“You’ll see (Battle’s) the No. 1 in getting shots up every single day,” said all-star Scottie Barnes. “He’s in the lab, getting a bunch of shots up. He’s going to stay prepared, stay ready.”

Cleveland leads the best-of-seven first-round playoff series 2-1. Game 4 is at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Sunday afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press