RJ Barrett celebrate his wild game-winning shot on Friday.

Toronto Raptors forward/guard R.J. Barrett Jr. sent his team to Game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in stunning fashion on Friday night.

Barrett’s last-second three-pointer in overtime bounced straight up several feet in the air after initially hitting the basket, and the ball fell straight down into the hoop. It ended a scoring drought for the Raptors star, as he secured a 112-110 overtime win over the Cavaliers. For Barrett, he did something he always wanted to do as a basketball player.

“[I] Still dream about it,” Barrett told reporters afterward about hitting that kind of shot. “And, you know, just want to saw one, you know, Scottie [Barnes] for just making the pass, you know, what I mean?”

“I said it before, we talked about it before, you know … right before the play happened,” Barett added. “But, you know, just him having the trust in me to make that pass at that moment was huge. And then, you know, glory be to God. I didn’t make nothing the whole fourth quarter, whole overtime. So, you know, for that shot to drop.”

Barrett had confidence in how the shot would land despite how it bounced. He compared it to shot by Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in the 2025 playoffs.

“I still knew it was good cuz it went straight up. Like, you know, if it goes straight up, you got a chance like that Haliburton shot last year,” Barrett said.

Barrett scored 24 points on 8-12 shooting, and he went 4-12 from three-point range. He also tallied nine rebounds and three assists.

Raptors Coach Darko Rajakovic Believed All Along

Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic expressed his belief that Barret would make that kind of play on Friday.

“Call me crazy … but I saw this one coming tonight,” Rajakovic told reporters afterward. “And  I was talking to assistant coaches before the game, and I was planning … plays for the end of the game to get R.J. in those situations, and I mean, it’s surreal that he made that shot — the way that shot went down. Really happy for R.J. and really happy he brought this win to Toronto.”

“I know it was a half of a second, but it looked like eternity over there,” Rajakovic added regarding the shot.

R.J. Barrett’s Moment Arrives in Native City

A Toronto native, Barrett joined the Raptors via a trade in December 2023 after four seasons with the New York Knicks. He helped Toronto return to the postseason for the first time since 2022.

Barrett has been effective against the Cavaliers in the current series with 24.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a steal per game. It’s a step up from this regular season performance of 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

Barrett didn’t have his best season from three-point range with a .339 mark, but he improved to .462 in the first five games of the series. He then hit from long range when it mattered most on Friday. Next up is Game 7.

“Going to Cleveland for Game 7 is going to be a tough task, but that’s what we’re built for,” Barret said.