Jamison Battle Went 5-for-5 From the Floor in the Fourth Quarter and the Cavaliers Still Can't Figure Him Out

The Toronto Raptors are expecting chaos when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. And honestly, after what went down in Game 3, they have every reason to be ready for literally anything.

The Raptors just demolished Cleveland 126-104 at home on Thursday to cut the Cavaliers' series lead to 2-1. But here's the thing: Toronto's coach Darko Rajakovic isn't treating this like a typical comeback. He's treating it like a series where nothing is predictable.

"Every game in this series so far, it was different," Rajakovic said. "So every game we've got to expect the unexpected. We've got to be ready for it. We've got to have some counters and some ideas how we want to react in those moments. And most importantly, we've got to stay together throughout the whole 48 minutes."

Jamison Battle Did What He Always Does: Win the Fourth Quarter

Reserve Jamison Battle was the difference maker in Game 3, going absolutely nuclear in the fourth quarter. The guy scored all 14 of his points in that final frame, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor and 4-for-4 from three. Toronto exploded 43-23 in that quarter, and Battle was the spark that ignited it.

This isn't new for the Raptors. Battle already torched Cleveland once before, dropping 20 points on 7-for-7 shooting (6-for-6 from three) back on October 31 in Cleveland. Rajakovic called him an "ultimate professional" who "puts an enormous amount of work in every single day." Donovan Mitchell, who was limited to just 15 points after scoring 62 in the first two games, acknowledged the obvious: "He's a shooter. He gets open, and once you see one go in, it goes from there, right? So credit to him, credit to them."

The Raptors Are Taking Over This Series

Toronto got career playoff performances from Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett, who each dropped 33 points. Reserve Collin Murray-Boyles added 22 points, setting the team's postseason record for a rookie. The Raptors forced 22 Cleveland turnovers and scored 23 points off those mistakes. Jamal Shead recorded five of Toronto's 11 steals.

Cleveland's offense fell apart. James Harden managed just 18 points and committed eight turnovers. "For me, I've got to be better," Harden said. "Just turning the basketball over, giving them easy points off transition opportunities."

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson summed it up bluntly: "We didn't do the dirty work that's necessary to win on the road." The Raptors' energy and aggression proved too much in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland couldn't recover.

One more thing: the Raptors announced Friday that starting point guard Immanuel Quickley is out for the rest of the series after re-injuring his right hamstring during rehabilitation. Game 4 tips off Sunday afternoon in Toronto.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.