Despite a strong effort in the final quarter, the Cleveland Cavaliers ran out of gas in Game 4 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, absorbing a four-point loss to the Toronto Raptors, 93-89.
The series is now tied at 2-2, with Game 5 returning to Rocket Arena on Wednesday.
The Raptors sealed the victory via free throws from Scottie Barnes with 3.8 seconds left. Barnes led the charge with 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. Brandon Ingram also had 23 points, although he struggled from the field, going 6-of-23.
In the postgame conference, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was surprised to see the Raptors’ advantage in free throws.
“Wow, 36 free throws,” said Atkinson with a smile.
The Raptors went 27-of-36 from the charity stripe, with Barnes and Ingram combining for 23 attempts. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, shot 15-of-23 from the free-throw line. Cleveland and Toronto were whistled for 27 fouls and 19 fouls, respectively.
Atkinson also lamented that they could not review a critical out-of-bounds call in the last 21 seconds since he had already challenged twice, which were both successful. He said the NBA should look into revising the rule.
“Shouldn’t you be rewarded for good challenging behavior? I think everybody’s talked about that. That would be a great rule change. I’m sure the competition committee will look at it. It just makes so much sense,” added Atkinson.
Kenny Atkinson:
"Shouldn't you be rewarded for good challenging behavior? Yeah sure. I think everybody's talked about that. That'd be a great rule change. I'm sure the competition committee will look at it. It just makes so much sense" pic.twitter.com/X0gA5Mr61H
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 26, 2026
The Cavaliers, however, also doomed themselves with their poor shooting, going 37% from the field. They failed to capitalize on the even worse marksmanship of the Raptors, who went 32% from the floor.
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 12-of-38 field goals.
Cleveland also had 18 turnovers, which Toronto converted to 17 points.
