In his first Game 7, Jarrett Allen delivers a 22-point, 19-rebound night to help Cavs advance

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jarrett Allen is usually laid back before games, including interacting with the crowd during the last minute of pregame warmups.

That wasn't the case Sunday night as he played in his first Game 7.

Not only was the veteran center even more pumped up than usual, he had a game to remember.

Allen's 22 points and 19 rebounds in Cleveland's 114-102 victory over Toronto made him the second player in franchise history with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a Game 7.

LeBron James had 35 points and 15 boards in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference final against Boston to get Cleveland into the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year.

“I had a great time doing it. Honestly, that was my first Game 7 I’ve ever played in,” said Allen, who had his 11th double-double in a playoff game and tied a postseason high in scoring. “It was a unique experience driving here from my house. It’s like, ‘I’m going to a Game 7, everything’s on the line.’ It’s just a different feeling that I’ve never experienced before. The crowd’s into it, I’m into it.”

After Cleveland went on an 11-2 run to close the first half and tie it at 49, Allen took over in the third quarter. The ninth-year center became the first player in franchise history to have a double-double in a playoff quarter as his 14 points and 10 rebounds in the third put the Cavaliers on top 87-68 going into the final 12 minutes.

Allen also had five offensive boards, one steal and a blocked shot as he played the entire third quarter.

“I just wanted to show my teammates that we could win this game," he said. “Energy and effort: That’s what I believe win games. You do it on the defensive end, everything translates to offense.”

One of Allen’s baskets during the quarter was a fast-break dunk after Max Strus stole the ball from Barnes to make it 74-59.

“Man, he really took us over the top in the third quarter,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The offensive rebounding, inside scoring. He was flying around, enthusiastic, I was thinking, ‘What got into this guy?’ He was ready for the moment.”

While most of the attention remains on Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, the Cavaliers got big contributions from others throughout the series.

Strus had 24 in Game 1, Evan Mobley had 23 points in Game 2 and then 25 points in Game 5 while Dennis Schroder had 19 points in 21 minutes in Game 5. All of those were Cavaliers victories.

“When Allen wants to go for 19 rebounds, yeah, that’s tough. It was Schroder before and in the first couple games, it was Strus. When they have that one guy show up, it’s tough," said Toronto's RJ Barrett, who had 23 points.

Allen missed most of March due to right knee tendinitis, but averaged 28.5 minutes of playing time in this series along with 11.4 points and 8.3 rebounds.

The Cavaliers are hoping to get the same from Allen when their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Pistons begins Tuesday in Detroit.

“That’s what it's going to take in the playoffs," Mobley said. “There’s a lot of guys that stepped up throughout this whole series. Every game is somebody else, and we’re going to need that night in and night out as we keep going.”

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Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) shoots next to Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles (12) 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)

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, left, and guard Donovan Mitchell, right, celebrate after the Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series in Cleveland, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) goes up for a dunk in the second half in Game 7 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series agaist the Toronto Raptors in Cleveland, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

A group of leading players including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have expressed “their deep disappointment” at the level on prize money at Roland Garros amid a lingering dispute with Grand Slam tournament organizers.

The clay-court Grand Slam event starts later this month in western Paris. The players said they have other demands that have not been addressed by officials, including better representation, health and pensions.

The players' call came after French Open organizers announced last month the Roland Garros prize money has increased by about 10% for an overall pot of 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million), with the total amount up 5.3 million euros from last year.

“Players’ share of Roland Garros tournament revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026,” the group of players responded in a statement on Monday.

Play begins on May 24 at Roland Garros. Men’s and women’s singles champions each receive 2.8 million euros and the runners-up 1.4 million euros. Semifinalists earn 750,000 euros and first round losers get 87,000 euros. Men’s and women’s doubles winners pocket 600,000 euros and the mixed doubles champions get 122,000 euros.

But the statement said “the underlying figures tell a very different story,” claiming that players receive a declining share of the value they contribute to generate.

“According to tournament officials, Roland Garros generated 395 million euros in revenue in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%,” they said. “With estimated revenues of over 400 million euros for this year’s tournament, prize money as a percentage of revenue will likely still be less than 15%, far short of the 22% that players have requested to bring the Grand Slams into line with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events.”

French Open organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

The same group of 20 players had already signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam tournaments last year, seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called “decisions that directly impact us.”

They said in their latest statement they remain “united in their desire to see meaningful progress, both in terms of fair financial distribution and in how the sport is governed.” They insisted they have not received any response to their proposals on welfare, including pension and long-term health, adding that no progress has been made “on fair and transparent player representation within Grand Slam decision-making.”

“While other major international sports are modernizing governance, aligning stakeholders, and building long-term value, the Grand Slams remain resistant to change,” they said. “The absence of player consultation and the continued lack of investment in player welfare reflect a system that does not adequately represent the interests of those who are central to the sport’s success.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus returns the ball to Hailey Baptiste of the U.S. during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Coco Gauff of the U.S. returns the ball to Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns the ball to Alexander Zverev, of Germany, during their men's singles tennis final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)