CLEVELAND (AP) — Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett did everything they could to try to get the Toronto Raptors into the Eastern Conference semifinals.
However, a couple of key injuries and a more veteran group ended the Raptors' first playoff trip in four years.
Barnes had 24 points and Barrett added 23 in the Raptors' 114-102 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night in Game 7 of their first-round series.
Toronto was missing All-Star forward Brandon Ingram to a bruised right heel for the second straight game. Point guard Immanuel Quickley missed the entire series because of sore right hamstring.
“We were down a couple of players and my team needed me out there," Barnes said. "That second group, those second-year guys (Jamal Shead and Ja'Kobe Walter) stepped up because were without starters in that series. I’m just proud that people got to see that because I know how good those guys are. I learned that in training camp, going against them every day.”
Shead, who started four games in the series, had 14 points in the first half, but was held scoreless after halftime. Walter, who started five games, scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half.
Barrett sent the series back to Cleveland for a deciding game on Friday night when his 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime hit off the back rim and bounced high above the backboard before going through the net to give the Raptors a 112-110 victory.
The Raptors got off to a fast start during the first half and grabbed a 41-31 lead with 6:33 remaining in the second quarter on a layup by Shead.
Things began to unravel when the Cavaliers closed the first half on a 11-2 run and tied it at 49.
That set the stage for the third quarter, when Cleveland took control and outscored Toronto 38-19 to seize control. The Raptors were 5 of 20 from the field and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc in the third.
“It felt like we had them. That’s what’s going to hurt. We definitely could have won this game and won this series,” said Barrett, who averaged 24.1 points and 7.0 rebounds in the series.
Cleveland also had more offensive rebounds (nine) than Toronto had total rebounds (eight) in the quarter.
Barnes said the disparity on the boards is what ended up hurting the Raptors the most.
“They worked harder than us in this game. They had 20 offensive rebounds. They had four guys crashing every play, even 5-10, 5-11 guys crashing the glass," he said. “They were scoring in transition, getting some offensive rebounds. The offensive rebounds were giving them extra possessions."
Barrett and coach Darko Rajakovic both lauded Barnes for his performance in the series. The fifth-year forward and two-time All-Star averaged 24.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists in the seven games.
“I think he (Scottie Barnes) shut up a lot of talk, and that’s good. That’s a winning player," Barrett said.
Rajakovic added about Barnes: “For the stage of his career, he gave it all. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but this is not the best version of Scottie we’re going to see. He’s going to be even better next season.”
The Raptors made the playoffs for the first time in four years. Barrett, Barnes and Ingram had postseason experience, but the rest of the group lacked it, which is why Rajakovic is hopeful his group can use this as motivation for next year.
“We don’t look at excuses. I think we created a culture that we were one of the hottest teams in the league," he said. “This season was an absolute success. I’m very proud. This is going to set us up for a lot of success in the future.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Fans react at a tailgate event in "Jurassic Park" outside Toronto's Scotiabank Arena as they watch the Toronto Raptors play the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game 7 in the first round of an NBA basketball playoffs series in Cleveland, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) defends in the first half in Game 7 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series in Cleveland, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) reacts to an official's call in the second half in Game 7 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — European leaders on Monday said that U.S. President Donald Trump’s snap decision to pull thousands of U.S. troops out of Germany came as a surprise but is a fresh sign that Europe must take care of its own security.
The Pentagon announced last week that it would pull some 5,000 troops out of Germany, but Trump told reporters on Saturday that “we’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”
He offered no reason for the move, which blindsided NATO, but his decision came amid an escalating dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S-Israeli war on Iran, and Trump’s anger that European allies have been reluctant to get involved in the conflict in the Middle East.
Asked about the decision to pull out 5,000 troops from Germany, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said: “I wouldn’t exaggerate that because I think we are expecting that Europe is taking more charge of its own security.
“I do not see those figures as dramatic, but I think they should be handled in a harmonious way inside the framework of NATO,” he told reporters in Yerevan, Armenia, where European leaders are holding a summit.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said “there has been a talk about withdrawal of U.S. troops for a long time from Europe. But of course, the timing of this announcement comes as a surprise.”
“I think it shows that we have to really strengthen the European pillar in NATO,” she said.
Asked whether she believes that Trump is trying to punish Merz, who said that the U.S. has been humiliated by Iran in talks to end the war, Kallas said: “I don’t see into the head of President Trump, so he has to explain it himself.”
Over the weekend, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said that officials at the 32-nation military alliance “are working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany.”
European allies and Canada have known since just after he came to office again last year that Trump would pull troops out of Europe — indeed some left Romania in October — but U.S. officials had pledged to coordinate any moves with their NATO allies to avoid creating a security vacuum.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte played down the move, saying that “there has been at this point disappointment on the U.S. side” about European support for the war on Iran.
Notably France, Spain and the U.K. have declined to give U.S. forces free rein to use bases on their territory to attack Iran. Spain has denied them the use of its airspace and bases there for the war.
But Rutte, who has championed Trump’s leadership at NATO despite the U.S. president's criticism of the majority of the allies, said: “I would say the Europeans have heard a message. They are now making sure that all the bilateral basing agreements are being implemented.”
Rutte added that European nations “have decided to pre-position assets, key assets, close to the theater for the next phase.”
He provided no details, but the Europeans have insisted they would not help police the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy trade route, until the war is over.
French President Emmanuel Macron said “if the United States is ready to reopen Hormuz, that’s great. That’s what we’ve been asking for since the beginning.” But he underlined that the Europeans are not ready to get involved in any operation “that does not seem clear to us.”
In another sign of friction with Merz, Trump has accused the EU of not complying with its U.S. trade deal and announced plans to increase tariffs next week on cars and trucks produced in the bloc to 25%, a move that would be particularly damaging to Germany, a major automobile manufacturer.
Without mentioning Trump or the United States, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen listed recent trade deals that the bloc has sealed with Australia and India, and is now working on with Mexico.
“With like-minded friends, you have stable, reliable supply chains and Europe has the biggest network of free trade agreements,” von der Leyen, who is from Germany, told reporters.
Cook reported from Brussels.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives for a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
