Toronto Raptors beat Cleveland despite historically poor three-point shooting
The Toronto Raptors levelled their NBA playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a gritty 93-89 victory in Game 4 on Sunday, despite recording the lowest three-point shooting percentage in post-season history.
The Canadian franchise shot just 13.3% from beyond the arc, converting a mere four of their 30 attempts from deep.
It stands as the worst perimeter shooting performance by any team with at least 25 attempts in an NBA playoff victory.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic saw his team manage an overall field-goal percentage of only 32%, but a resilient defensive effort ultimately overcame their offensive struggles.
Rajakovic praises defensive resilience
“We just never flinched; we continued guarding and guarding,” Rajakovic said after the hard-fought win.
“I told our guys at halftime, it’s awesome, we’re shooting 27% from the field and 15% from the 3-point line. And I was lying.”
The team’s tactician added: “But whatever it takes, just find a way to win the game.”
Brandon Ingram provided a rare offensive spark, hitting three of the hosts’ four successful three-pointers.
Ingram and Barnes step up
The towering forward finished with 23 points, matching the impressive scoring tally of team-mate Scottie Barnes.
Together, the duo successfully outscored Cleveland’s star pairing of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, who managed 20 and 19 points respectively.
Barnes proved instrumental on both ends of the floor, willingly taking on the primary defensive assignment against Mitchell.
The Cavaliers’ star guard struggled significantly against the imposing defender, making just one of his eight shot attempts when directly challenged.
Belief remains high in Toronto
Toronto’s locker room has credited their young leader for maintaining belief when the squad fell 2-0 behind earlier in the series.
“He actually, in his mind, envisioned what we need to do to win the game,” team-mate Garrett Temple revealed.
“You can feel when he really believes that we have found something that we can do to win.”
After dropping the opening two fixtures on the road, the hosts have successfully defended their home court to balance the tie at two wins apiece.
Pivotal Game 5 awaits
The best-of-seven series will now shift back to Ohio on Wednesday, where both sides will look to seize crucial control of the match-up.
“Scotty right now, the way he’s playing, he’s at 60% of a player that he’s going to be in two, three years,” Rajakovic stated.
“He’s already one of the best players in the league, but how much he cares about winning, it’s pushing him forward to do whatever it takes to win the game.”