The Raptors led Game 5 in Cleveland by as many as 12 points on Wednesday, but couldn’t hang on for the victory and will head back to Toronto down 3-2 and looking to stay alive in the series. Most concerning for Toronto now is the status of two of the team’s stars heading into that do-or-die game.
As Jamal Collier of ESPN details, forward Brandon Ingram exited Wednesday’s contest in the second quarter due to right heel inflammation, an issue that bothered him near the end of the regular season, forcing him to miss three games between March 23 and April 1.
“He reaggravated the heel on one play,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic told Collier and other reporters after the loss. “We tried to re-tape him. At halftime, he tried to activate to see if he could be ready for the second half, and he was not ready to come and play in the second half. (Thursday) we’ll know more when we do more evaluations.”
Ingram hasn’t been at his best against the Cavs in the first round, making just 19-of-58 shots from the floor (32.8%), including a dismal 14-of-45 two-pointers (31.1%). Still, he was the Raptors’ leading scorer during the regular season, and not having him on the floor to attract defensive attention limits the club’s offensive ceiling.
“We needed him out there on the floor,” Raptors forward Scottie Barnes said after Game 5. “The way they guard him, his shot-making ability when he’s out there on the floor. He makes big plays for us on the defensive end as well.”
For his part, Barnes took a shot to his quad during the second quarter on Wednesday and admitted in his post-game session that it was bothering him for the rest of the night, even though he was able to stay on the court.
“Obviously, it had some effect,” Barnes said, per Collier. “I couldn’t play with that same pace that I was trying to play with. Had a little limp out there, but I was trying to push through it, trying to win the game. I can’t do nothing about it. Just got to get some recovery, let it rest a little bit and be ready Friday.”
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With Ingram struggling, RJ Barrett has led Toronto in scoring in the first round, averaging 24.4 points per game on .535/.462/.581 shooting. As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca writes, Barrett has been huge for the Raptors in the series, having also taken on a wide range of defensive assignments that include guarding bigger players like Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen or scorers like James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. Both Barnes and Jamal Shead described Barrett’s playoff performance as “big-time,” with Barnes lauding his defensive versatility and Shead expressing confidence in his shot-making. “There’s not a shot that he takes in those fourth quarters that we’re like, oh, that’s not RJ’s shot,” Shead said. “We’re cool with it.”
2025 lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles has been a revelation for the Raptors in the playoffs, averaging 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on 67.3% shooting. While Murray-Boyles was overshadowed during the regular season by rookies like Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and VJ Edgecombe, he’s proving that he’s another gem in what looks like an increasingly strong 2025 draft class, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
In case you missed it, Raptors veteran swingman Garrett Temple finished fourth in Teammate of the Year voting, earning 46 first-place votes from his peers.
