Barnes, Ingram help Raptors past Cavaliers 93-89; playoff series tied 2-2

TORONTO — Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic had a brief Serbian vocabulary lesson for Toronto reporters and fans after a 93-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Inat, pronounced ee-nut, is a concept beyond grittiness.

“It’s proving everybody wrong, in spite of everything. That’s the state of our team,” said Rajakovic during his post-game news conference. “All of our guys, they have a chip on the shoulder.”

“They’re coming every single day to to put extreme work in to play for this city. I would use that word — inat.”

Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes had 23 points apiece as the Raptors withstood a late Cavaliers charge on Sunday to tie up the best-of-seven series 2-2. Game 5 will be in Cleveland on Wednesday and Game 6 will be back at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Friday.

The Raptors pulled off the win despite a woeful shooting performance, making 31 of 97 (32 per cent) field goals and 4 of 30 (13.3 per cent) three-point attempts.

It was the lowest shooting percentage for a winning team in a playoff game since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.

“It’s the grind and fight that we had, the attention to detail and rebounding the ball, and taking care of the ball, all the stuff that we preach night in and night out that came out in the game,” said Rajakovic. “We just never, never flinched. We continued guarding and guarding.

“I told our guys at halftime that it was awesome that we’re shooting 27 per cent from the field, 15 per cent from the three-point line, but I was lying. I told them that we’re going to shoot better in the second half, but we did not.”

Barnes had nine rebounds and six assists. He said that Rajakovic deserved credit for creating such a resilient team identity, but wouldn’t go so far as to say the Raptors have a chip on their shoulder.

“We’re just trying to go out there and win, take it one possession at a time,” said Barnes. “That’s all we’re focusing on, taking it one possession at a time.

“If they go on the run, how can we go on a run ourselves? What can we do better? How can we focus on keep getting better each and every single day? We’re just enjoying that process.”

Ingram had six rebounds and was responsible for three of Toronto’s three-pointers. It was arguably his best playoff performance in a Raptors uniform, as he had struggled through the first three games of the series.

Going into Sunday’s game Ingram averaged 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal, shooting 39.4 per cent on field goals and 33.3 per cent on three-pointers. Both of those rates are well below Ingram’s career marks of 46.9 per cent on field goals and 36.6 per cent on threes.

“All my teammates have been there through ups and downs, telling me to keep shooting and if they’re open, they tell me to pass it,” said Ingram. “All the information they give me is good information that propels me for the game.”

R.J. Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 18 points and eight rebounds for his hometown team, while rookie centre Collin Murray-Boyles had a double-double off the bench with 15 points and 10 boards.

“(Rebounding) is just something that I do. Something that I’ve been successful with throughout the post-season,” said Murray-Boyles. “Obviously, we need that more as the series goes on and as we keep playing these really tough games.

“We need everybody so the things that I do we need it times 10.”

Donovan Mitchell had 20 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Cavaliers’ late rally. He had six rebounds and his four three-pointers matched Toronto’s entire output from beyond the arc.

James Harden added 19 points with eight assists for the Cavs.

According to simulations run by Basketball-Reference.com, the Raptors had only a 26.9 per cent chance of winning the first round series. With the best-of-seven series now tied 2-2, Toronto has upended expectations.

Ingram said that he and his teammates know the Cavaliers won’t go quietly.

“We‘ve got to expect a fight,” said Ingram. “Back in their territory (for Game 5), their fans are going to be super loud, bringing the energy, and we’ve got to be ready for Donovan Mitchell to bounce back.

“All their guys are going to be ready so we’ve just got to be ready too.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2026.