CLEVELAND — RJ Barrett thinks the Toronto Raptors have 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 in the best-of-seven matchup when Cleveland hosted Games 1 and 2, with the Raptors tying it up with back-to-back wins in Toronto. But the Raptors had to battle back in both those two wins at Scotiabank Arena after giving up leads to the Cavaliers.
“I think we have to do a better 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, of course, it’s easier with the crowd and stuff to help propel us to get back in the game.
“But on the road, we were in that position a bunch of times, down eight, down 10, and then with their crowd it could go the other way.”
The Raptors tilted the series back in their favour by bogging down Cleveland’s offence, forcing all-star guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden into isolation plays in 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 like to eliminate that element of the game altogether.
“I think limiting offensive rebounds would be huge,” he said. “We played good defence, so yeah, limiting them to one shot as much as possible when we could (will help).
“At this point, everybody’s made adjustments. It’s just about who’s willing to go out there and fight together.”
Second-year guard Ja’Kobe Walter, who is playing in his first NBA playoff series, has been one of the Raptors guards tasked with slowing Mitchell. He expected Game 5 to be another low-scoring slugfest like Toronto’s 83-89 win on Sunday.
“I think it’s really going to be a battle,” said Mitchell before the Raptors morning shootaround began. “They’re going to come out with the mentality that they’ve got to match our physicality, and then we’re going come with the mentality that we’ve got to punch them first in the mouth all 48 minutes.
“I think it’s going to be a battle, a lot of execution, a lot of focus.”
Walter had been ill between Games 2 and 3, but he said he feels fine now and that it didn’t affect his play.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
