Raptors star RJ Barrett nails season-saving 3-pointer to force Game 7 against Cavaliers

Clutch doesn’t adjacent statesman to picture Toronto Raptors prima RJ Barrett’s season-saving shot.

The Raptors, down 3-2 successful the series, were trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-109 with 10.9 seconds near successful the 4th fourth astatine the Scotiabank Arena connected Friday night.

Barrett inbounded the shot to Scottie Barnes, with the Raptors needing a handbasket to prevention their season. Barnes dribbled to the free-throw enactment and past kicked the shot backmost to Barrett, who was waiting astatine the apical of the key.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Toronto Raptors' RJ Barrett celebrates with fans aft a triumph implicit the Cleveland Cavaliers successful Game 6 of the first-round NBA playoffs successful Toronto, Ontario, Canada, connected May 1, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Barrett launched a 3-pointer, a changeable that needed to find the backmost of the nett if the Raptors were to unit a Game 7 and widen their season. Instead, Barrett recovered the backmost of the rim and the shot bounced astir 7 feet disconnected it.

The shot past came down and fell done the net, giving the Raptors a 112-110 pb with 1.2 seconds left. Evan Mobley had a accidental to triumph it for the Cavaliers, but his 3-pointer bounced disconnected the beforehand of the rim arsenic clip expired.

Raptors manager Darko Rajakovic said helium felt similar Barrett’s changeable was successful the aerial for an eternity.

"It was lone fractional a second, but it felt similar an eternity," Rajakovic said. "I was blessed for him, for this team, for this city, that the changeable went down."

Barrett said helium knew it had a accidental to autumn due to the fact that of wherever the shot landed connected the rim.

FORMER WIZARDS STAR JOHN WALL RETURNS TO WASHINGTON AS HOWARD BASKETBALL OPERATIONS PRESIDENT

Toronto Raptors guardant RJ Barrett scored the winning handbasket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during overtime successful crippled six of the archetypal circular of the 2026 NBA playoffs astatine Scotiabank Arena successful Toronto connected May 1, 2026. (Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images)

"I thought it was inactive bully due to the fact that it went consecutive up," Barrett said. "When it goes consecutive up, you person a chance."

Cavaliers caput manager Kenny Atkinson had a much succinct absorption to Barrett’s season-saving shot.

"Sometimes the hoops gods aren’t with you," Atkinson said.

The Cavaliers are present looking to crook the leafage and triumph Game 7 astatine home.

"This is wherefore you combat truthful hard to get home-court advantage," Cavaliers manager Kenny Atkinson said. "We knew this wasn’t going to beryllium easy. This is the playoffs, this is what it’s about. We’ve got to retrieve and get acceptable for Sunday’s game."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Toronto Raptors guardant RJ Barrett reacts aft scoring the winning handbasket against the Cleveland Cavaliers successful overtime during crippled six of the archetypal circular of the 2026 NBA playoffs astatine Scotiabank Arena successful Toronto, Ontario, connected May 1, 2026. (Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images)

"Protect location court," Cavaliers prima Donovan Mitchell said. "It doesn’t substance if we mislaid by 30 oregon two, support location court. That’s each you tin do."

For Raptors fans, the affable bounce was reminiscent of an adjacent bigger playoff handbasket northbound of the border: Kawhi Leonard's four-bounce, buzzer-beating victor against the Philadelphia 76ers successful Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Raptors fans anticipation they tin get different peculiar representation erstwhile the squad plays the Cavaliers astatine 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.