Raptors outlast Cavaliers in Game 4 to tie playoff series 2-2
Toronto won a 93-89 grind despite 13.3% shooting from 3, tying the series and forcing Cleveland to answer a comeback that has already erased its 2-0 lead.
Toronto did not need a clean offensive night to seize control of the series. It needed control, toughness and a few decisive baskets, and the Raptors got all three in a 93-89 Game 4 win over Cleveland that tied the first-round matchup 2-2.
The game fit the playoff label of a rock fight from start to finish. Toronto shot only 4-for-30 from 3-point range, yet still left with the win after Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes each scored 23 points. The Raptors’ 13.3 percent mark from deep was the lowest 3-point shooting percentage with at least 25 attempts in a playoff win in NBA history, a strange but revealing statistic about how little room Cleveland had to turn the game into a track meet.
That mattered because the series has already swung violently in both directions. Cleveland opened with wins in Games 1 and 2 and looked poised to take command. Toronto answered with a 126-104 blowout in Game 3, then followed it by grinding out Game 4 to even the best-of-seven series. The Raptors’ comeback also snapped a 12-game playoff losing streak against Cleveland, a reminder of how heavily this matchup had tilted in the past. In their 2018 postseason meeting, Cleveland swept Toronto 4-0.
Game 4 showed Toronto’s current formula under pressure: defend, slow the pace, and survive possessions that would bury a less resilient team. It also exposed Cleveland’s problem when the game tightens and every half-court possession matters. James Harden addressed the media after the loss, and coach Kenny Atkinson also spoke afterward, as the Cavaliers were left to explain how they let a 2-0 series lead slip away.
Game 5 was scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Cleveland, and the location now carries real weight. NBA game notes say that when a best-of-seven series reaches 2-2, the Game 5 home team has historically won 73.1 percent of the time. That backdrop raises the stakes for a Cavaliers team that has already lost the rhythm of the series, and for a Raptors group that has shown it can win both a blowout and a grinder.
Toronto has already made the first real adjustment. Cleveland now has to make the next one.
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