Brandon Ingram left Game 5 near the middle of the second quarter Wednesday night and did not return, a right heel injury costing the Toronto Raptors one of their main scorers in a 125-120 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena.
Ingram checked himself out and limped to the locker room after losing the ball near the wing with 7:32 left in the second quarter. He finished with one point and two assists in 11 minutes, well below the 14.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game he had been providing in the series. Toronto then went on to fall behind 3-2, with Game 6 set for Friday night at Scotiabank Arena.
The loss leaves Cleveland one win from advancing to a third straight Eastern Conference semifinals, and the Cavs have continued to make Toronto pay at home in the postseason, where they are now 10-0 against the Raptors. Cleveland also shot 50% from behind the arc, with James Harden leading the way with 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Evan Mobley adding 23 points and nine rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell scoring 19.
Toronto still had chances to stay afloat despite the injury to Ingram and the absence of another injured All-Star in Scottie Barnes, who finished with 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Ja’Kobe Walter scored 20 points on six 3-pointers. But the Raptors could not close the gap late, and their position in the series now leaves them 0-5 when trailing 3-2 in the playoffs, a mark that makes Friday night feel like a must-answer game rather than just another stop on the schedule.
