Tyrese Haliburton Reacts to RJ Barrett's Game-Winning 3-Pointer in Raptors-Cavaliers Game 6
RJ Barrett and the Toronto Raptors forced a Game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Barrett had a productive 24-point outing against the Cavaliers. The Raptors entered Game 6 with a sense of desperation to extend their season. This resulted in three players scoring at least 20 points.
Aside from his scoring output, Barrett also had nine rebounds and three assists to help the Raptors with a 112-110 overtime win. Star forward Scottie Barnes added 25 points, seven rebounds, 14 assists, three steals and three blocks. Barnes was all over the court, doing everything that the team needed.
The third player to reach the 20-point mark for Toronto was Ja'Kobe Walter, who had 24 points on 44.4% shooting from deep.
Tyrese Haliburton Remembers His Game-Winning Shot Last Year From RJ Barrett's Clutch 3
The Cavaliers had a 110-109 lead with under 10 seconds on the game clock. The Raptors turned to Barnes to make a play and win the game. However, Cleveland sent three defenders on him when he reached the free-throw line.
He kicked the ball out to Barrett, who was wide open from beyond the arc. He shot a 3, and it bounced once before it went in, leaving 1.2 seconds in the game.
OMG RJ!!!!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/YFN8UbrBWa
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 2, 2026
After seeing his game-winning shot, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton thought the shot looked familiar.
"That looked familiar," Haliburton posted on X.
Haliburton was referring to the clutch shot he made during the 2025 NBA playoffs. In Game 1 against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers were down 125-123 with 7.3 seconds left. The two-time All-Star shot a stepback jumpshot over Knicks center Mitchell Robinson in the final second.
The ball had one bounce before it went through the hoop.
RJ Barrett's game-winner was nearly IDENTICAL to Hali's against the Knicks in the 2025 playoffs
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 2, 2026
(h/t @Hali) pic.twitter.com/oQLPaOefWY
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic revealed that he "envisioned" seeing Barrett hit a big shot tonight.
"Call me crazy, call me psychic, but I saw this one coming tonight… It's surreal," Rajakovic told the media.
"I know it was (in the air for) half a second but it felt like an eternity."
Barrett told the media that he knew his shot was going in because when it bounced, it went straight up. He also referenced the shot that Haliburton made in last year's playoffs.
Game 7 will be on Sunday at the Rocket Arena. It will be the third first-round series that extended to seven games.
Related: Final Injury Report for Cavaliers-Raptors Game 6: Will Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes Play?
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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 8:07 PM.