Rj Barret lifts Raptors to 2-2 with 24.3-point playoff run
rj barret kept Toronto in the middle of this series with another heavy scoring night and a win in Game 4 over Cleveland. Through four games, he has become the Raptors’ second-leading scorer while the series sits tied at 2-2.
Barrett on Mitchell
Barrett said Donovan Mitchell has had success against him in the series, but his response was blunt and direct. “But I’m going to be there, I’m going to fight to the best of my abilities, my teammates are going to have my back, and I’m just going to [continue] to guard.”
That stance has shown up in the numbers. Through four games, Barrett is averaging 24.3 points per game, shooting 55 per cent from the field and 48 per cent from three-point range. He has played more minutes than everyone on Toronto except Scottie Barnes.
Toronto’s home shift
Toronto’s defense has changed the series since the Raptors returned home for Games 3 and 4. They won both games, tied the matchup at two wins apiece, and held Mitchell to 35 points on 33 per cent shooting across those two Toronto wins.
James Harden ran into the same wall. He totaled 37 points on 41 per cent shooting in the two Toronto wins after dropping 50 on 53 per cent shooting in Cleveland, and Mitchell and Harden combined for 22 of their team’s 40 turnovers in those games. Barrett’s role on that end has been notable too: according to NBA.com matchup data, he has guarded Harden on 57.2 partial defensive possessions.
Barrett’s growing load
Toronto needs Barrett’s offense because Brandon Ingram has struggled, and the workload has kept rising around him. Going into Tuesday’s slate of games, Barrett was leading the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring, which tracks with how often the Raptors have leaned on him late while the series has tightened.
Jamal Shead put the defensive conversation in plain terms during Barrett’s Tuesday afternoon post-practice press conference: “There’s a narrative that he couldn’t guard, but I think it’s just because he didn’t want to for a while.” Barrett is now carrying both ends for a Toronto team that has turned a 2-0 hole into a 2-2 series.
