- The Raptors secured an improbable Game 4 victory over the Cavaliers, becoming the first team in playoff history to win while shooting under 14% from three-point range on 20+ attempts.
- Toronto’s 34.0 effective field-goal percentage was the lowest by a winning team in a playoff game since 1978, highlighting the team’s reliance on elite defensive intensity.
- The Raptors held Cleveland to a season-low 89 points, forcing 18 turnovers and effectively neutralizing stars James Harden and Donovan Mitchell.
- Scottie Barnes anchored the defensive effort with four stocks, while rookie Jamal Shead provided a highlight-reel moment by forcing a crucial late-game eight-second violation.
- Head coach Darko Rajakovic praised the team’s “grind and fight,” noting that the squad’s identity as a swarming, high-pressure defensive unit kept them in the series.
Read the full story here: https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/raptors-defence-overcomes-poor-shooting-in-improbable-game-4-win/
