\n
\n\t\t\tThe Raptors led Game 5 in Cleveland by as many as 12 points on Wednesday, but couldn\u2019t 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\u2019s stars heading into that do-or-die game.
\nAs Jamal Collier of ESPN details, forward Brandon Ingram exited Wednesday\u2019s 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.
\n\u201cHe reaggravated the heel on one play,\u201d Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic told Collier and other reporters after the loss. \u201cWe 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\u2019ll know more when we do more evaluations.\u201d
\nIngram hasn\u2019t 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\u2019 leading scorer during the regular season, and not having him on the floor to attract defensive attention limits the club\u2019s offensive ceiling.
\n\u201cWe needed him out there on the floor,\u201d Raptors forward Scottie Barnes said after Game 5. \u201cThe way they guard him, his shot-making ability when he\u2019s out there on the floor. He makes big plays for us on the defensive end as well.\u201d
\nFor 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.
\n\u201cObviously, it had some effect,\u201d Barnes said, per Collier. \u201cI couldn\u2019t 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\u2019t do nothing about it. Just got to get some recovery, let it rest a little bit and be ready Friday.\u201d
\nWe have more on the Raptors:<\/p>\n
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\u2019s playoff performance as \u201cbig-time,\u201d with Barnes lauding his defensive versatility and Shead expressing confidence in his shot-making. \u201cThere\u2019s not a shot that he takes in those fourth quarters that we\u2019re like, oh, that\u2019s not RJ\u2019s shot,\u201d Shead said. \u201cWe\u2019re cool with it.\u201d
\n2025 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\u2019s proving that he\u2019s another gem in what looks like an increasingly strong 2025 draft class, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
\nIn 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.<\/p>\n