Ja'Kobe Walter 20 points vs Cavaliers (Apr 29, 2026): First round Game 5
20 PTS · 7-of-16 FG · 6-of-14 3P · 34:48 MIN
Usual: 2025-26 regular season, 72 games, Oct 27 – Apr 12 (7.5 PTS · 5.6 FGA · 20.5 MIN)
Game Score 15.3 against a usual 6.1 (+9.2)
above usual
Playoff game · against the 2025-26 regular season
No more than 4 in 100 games by players at this level finish this far above their usual: playoff games, each against the player's regular-season usual.
How the score worksWhy did Ja'Kobe Walter score 20 points?
Ja'Kobe Walter scored 20 points in 34:48 against the Cavaliers on Apr 29, 2026, Game 5 of the first round: 7-of-16 from the field (43.8%), 6-of-14 from three (42.9%), no free throw attempts. Before this game, Walter averaged 7.5 points on 5.6 shots in 20.5 minutes across 72 regular-season games. Walter took 16 shots, 10.4 more than usual. The rate from the field was 43.8%, against a usual 44.6%. By shot type: threes 18 points (usual 4.6); free throws 0 points (usual 1.0). Minutes: 34:48, against a usual 20.5; Game Score per 36 minutes: 15.8, against a usual 10.8. Walter had 4 steals and 0 blocks, against a usual 1.0 and 0.2. The Raptors lost 125-120 at the Cavaliers. The box score records what changed, not why: it holds no injury, matchup or coaching information.
Generated from the box score and this season's game log. How the score works
What changed
Walter in this game against the usual line
| Stat | This game | Usual (72 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | 34:48 | 20.5 | +14.3 |
| Points | 20 | 7.5 | +12.5 |
| Shots (FGA) · FG% | 16 · 43.8% | 5.6 · 44.6% | +10.4 · -0.8 |
| 3PA · 3P% | 14 · 42.9% | 3.7 · 40.9% | +10.3 · +2.0 |
| FTA · FT% | 0-of-0 | 1.3 · 78.9% | -1.3 |
| Rebounds | 3 | 2.6 | +0.4 |
| Assists | 2 | 1.2 | +0.8 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0.5 | +0.5 |
| UsageUsual: minutes-weighted average of per-game usage, 72 games | 19.5 | 14.1 | +5.4 |
| Game Score per 36 minutes | 15.8 | 10.8 | +5.0 |
Points by shot type
Twos, threes and free throws: the changes add up to the points change
| Shot type | This game | Usual (72 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threes | 18 (6-of-14) | 4.6 (1.5-of-3.7) | +13.4 |
| Twos | 2 (1-of-2) | 1.9 (1.0-of-1.9) | +0.1 |
| Free throws | 0 (0-of-0) | 1.0 (1.0-of-1.3) | -1.0 |
| Total | 20 | 7.5 | +12.5 |
Game Score
One measure of the whole box score line
15.3 against a usual 6.1 (+9.2)
Its five parts
| Part | Change |
|---|---|
| Scoring, net of shot attempts | +7.1 |
| Rebounds | +0.2 |
| Assists | +0.6 |
| Steals and blocks | +2.9 |
| Turnovers and fouls | -1.6 |
| Total | +9.2 |
This postseason so far
Playoff games in date order, this game last; no score
| Date | Round | Opp | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 2026 | First round · Game 1 | @ CLE | 27:42 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6.3 |
| Apr 20, 2026 | First round · Game 2 | @ CLE | 28:00 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 9.9 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | First round · Game 3 | vs CLE | 26:12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -4.4 |
| Apr 26, 2026 | First round · Game 4 | vs CLE | 27:00 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Apr 29, 2026This game | First round · Game 5 | @ CLE | 34:48 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 15.3 |
Context
From the rows this page already reads
- The Raptors lost 125-120 at the Cavaliers.
- Previous appearance: Apr 26, 2026, 3 days earlier.
- Earlier in this series: 7 points (Game 1), 14 points (Game 2), 0 points (Game 3), 0 points (Game 4).
What this page cannot tell you
The same on every performance page
Box scores record what happened, not why: no injuries or health, defensive assignments, matchups, coaching decisions or play-by-play.
Game Score against the player's own regular-season usual line, never blended with last season. How rare a gap is comes from NBA playoff games of 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26, each postseason checked on a table fit on the others; the top tier is Rare.