The heated practice fueled Ingram and the Raptors to a win over the Bulls after the All-Star Break.
Brandon Ingram and the Toronto Raptors captured a 110-101 victory against the Chicago Bulls in the United Center. In their first match after the All-Star break, the two-time All-Star led both teams in scoring, contributing 31 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. After being named an All-Star for the first time in six years, Ingram continued to show his ability to be the go-to guy offensively when Toronto needs a spark.
After being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans at last year’s trade deadline, Ingram is playing for a chance to compete in the postseason for just the third time in his 10-year career. The Raptors are fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs; if the Raptors are able to advance to the conference semifinals, it would mark the first playoff series win for the former Duke Blue Devil.
Toronto Raptors guard/forward Brandon Ingram (3) | © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Backup guard Ja’Kobe Walter led both benches in scoring and was tied for the second-most on the Raptors. He added 14 points and four rebounds with two three-pointers made in 22 minutes, marking just the fifth time this season he was able to score 14 points or more.
Postgame, Ingram praised the 21-year-old guard out of Baylor University by detailing an intense practice between the two earlier this week (via nba.com).
“On the defensive side of the basketball, [Walter’s] aggressive,” said Ingram. “He makes guys not want to dribble the basketball. We kind of went at it in practice the other day, where he kind of was getting into my [expletive], and playing defence, and I definitely think he has that mentality every single time he steps onto the floor … He gets better every game, and overall, I think he’s going to be a good pro in this league.”
Toronto Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter (14) | © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
The first trade general manager Bobby Webster completed earlier this month was to get Ochai Agbaji’s contract off the books and get the franchise under the first apron for the luxury tax. Doing so opened up minutes in the backup shooting guard position, which has led to more opportunities for Walter.
Fans have seen an exponentially better defense from the Raptors this year compared to the last three, when they missed the playoffs. It all starts with DPOY candidate Scottie Barnes, but players like Walter and Collin Murray-Boyles have accentuated that mentality to push the aggression and activity that makes teams uncomfortable in the half-court setting.
Toronto Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter (14) and forward/center Collin Murray-Boyles (12) | © David Butler II-Imagn Images
While the Raptors have been one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league this year (ranked 26th with 34.4%), Walter has shown flashes of being a potential candidate to help solve that problem for Toronto, as seen in the five threes he made over the last three games.
Ingram contributed to this notion when he was interviewed on the court after the win.
“I always tell him to keep shooting the basketball. He’s probably the best shooter on the team besides Jamison Battle.”
Currently ranked as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors have work to do in their final 26 games of the regular season. They sit 3.5 games out of the second seed, but also just 3 games out of the seventh seed, and being in the Play-In Tournament. Their finish to the season will determine their ability to solidify a playoff spot or even secure home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.