Collin Murray-Boyles delivered 22 points and a defensive impact in Toronto’s Game 3 win over Cleveland, reinforcing his rising playoff role next to Scottie Barnes.
TORONTO — The kind of praise Darko Rajakovic usually reserves for a star was aimed at a rookie on Thursday night.
Rajakovic’s message after Game 3 of the Raptors’ series over the Cleveland Cavaliers wasn’t about Scottie Barnes. even though Barnes produced a playoff-career surge with 33 points and 11 assists.. The head coach’s focus was Collin Murray-Boyles. a first-year forward whose performance looked less like a young player trying to survive the moment and more like a direct continuation of what Toronto already relies on: physicality. effort. and two-way play.
“He’s been stepping on the floor and fighting and giving it all, defending and rebounding, creating space with his rolls,” Rajakovic said. “I thought he was ultra aggressive and he needed to be … He did everything the team demanded tonight.”
That “everything” matters, because Murray-Boyles’ Game 3 numbers weren’t just efficient—they were loud.. He scored 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting. putting his name at the top of the list for highest single-game scoring performances by a Raptors rookie in the playoffs. one spot above the franchise benchmark set earlier in Scottie Barnes’ own postseason breakout.
But the more meaningful part for Toronto wasn’t the total—it was how Murray-Boyles fit beside Barnes without forcing the offense to change its identity.. The Raptors aren’t simply playing “more talent.” They’re playing a clearer brand of basketball: one built around force at the point of attack and relentless pressure throughout possessions.
After Toronto took a three-point lead late in the game, Rajakovic signaled for Murray-Boyles when Barnes needed a breather.. The rookie’s arrival wasn’t subtle.. The tone shifted, and not because of one highlight—because his presence required Cleveland to respond again and again.. Murray-Boyles combined scoring with defensive energy, then returned for late action as Toronto leaned into a tighter grip on momentum.
When the fourth quarter arrived with the game tied at 88 and 9:53 to go, Murray-Boyles delivered immediate, practical production.. A strong down-screen created space for Jamison Battle’s first three of the stretch.. He followed that with a two-way rhythm that included finishing opportunities. clean reads. and control on the offensive glass—collecting a missed free throw and pushing it into another possession for Battle.. Then. on his second offensive rebound of the quarter. he converted again. adding a putback that brought the ceiling closer to the roof.
The visual impact was matched by what teammates felt.. Battle described it with the kind of realism only players can offer: Murray-Boyles looked like a man who couldn’t lose a second. even when he was on the court for short spells.. “I came off the court. looked up and (Murray-Boyles) only had eight rebounds. but it felt like he had 20. ” Battle said.. “The physicality he brings and just the edge …. you know that he doesn’t play like a rookie at all.”
That edge extended beyond scoring. Murray-Boyles also broke up a Cleveland play on a sideline inbound, forcing a backcourt violation on Allen. In a series where late possessions can swing an entire storyline, those small “wins” often decide who looks composed and who looks hurried.
Cleveland’s coaching staff noticed it, too. Kenny Atkinson framed Toronto’s biggest difference as the outcome of battles—who played with more force when the game tightened. Barnes and Murray-Boyles, in different ways, helped Toronto win enough of those micro-duels to turn a tie into a margin.
Still, the clearest takeaway for Toronto may be the bigger basketball argument happening underneath the box score: the Raptors didn’t just find a scorer. They found a second pillar.
Before the playoffs, Rajakovic emphasized habits built to help Toronto in postseason conditions.. Through three games, those habits have looked far easier to execute than earlier, particularly on the defensive end.. With Murray-Boyles on the floor. Cleveland has generated more turnovers and taken fewer clean looks around the rim. while Toronto’s rebound work. paint finishing. and transition activity have all trended in the right direction.
It’s a stark reminder that playoff basketball often rewards teams with layered identities. One game-breaker can be exciting—but one game-breaker plus an energy engine that pressures every possession is the kind of combination that changes how opponents plan their nights.
For Murray-Boyles personally, the story is simpler than the surrounding chatter.. After his Game 3. he sounded focused on the same themes that got him here: helping the team win and doing the work the moment demands.. He may have arrived as a ninth-overall pick last summer. but the early playoff evidence suggests he’s already learning what elite roles look like when the margin shrinks.
And next. Toronto has to prove it can sustain the pairing—Barnes and Murray-Boyles as two complementary drivers instead of two separate plotlines.. That becomes the question heading into Game 4: can the Raptors keep telling the same physical. defensive story. and can they separate the contributions when the series reaches the next level of intensity?
If Game 3 was any indicator, Toronto isn’t waiting to find out. It’s already built around the answer—and it starts with how often Murray-Boyles looks like he belongs on the floor beside the franchise’s centerpiece.