Brandon Ingram ignited the Toronto Raptors’ comeback with a game-high 23 points, setting up a crucial Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Toronto Raptors returned to Scotiabank Arena on Sunday hoping to even their first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. And they did just that.
Toronto closed Game 4 on a 17-5 run to beat Cleveland and tie the series at 2-2, setting up a pivotal Game 5 back in Cleveland.
It wasn’t a clean performance: both teams shot below 37% from the field, turnovers piled up to a combined 18, and the game teetered on ugly for three quarters. But when the moment called for someone to step up, Brandon Ingram finally answered, finishing with a game-high 23 points in his best performance of the series.
Ingram was measured but confident postgame.
“Coming out, we knew we had to key in on Donovan Mitchell and James Harden,” the two-time All-Star told TSN. “Everybody played together. We got a win tonight.”
Ingram also praised Scottie Barnes, who matched his 23 points with 10 rebounds and six assists: “He a killer, defensively and offensively. He is leading our team right now and we need every bit of it.”
On Collin Murray-Boyles, who delivered 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, Ingram said: “I ain’t surprised no more. He a dawg.”
When asked what a 2-2 series now demands heading to Cleveland, he responded: “We get better and better each game. We look more connected than last game so I expect the same thing.”
Ingram came into Sunday’s game under real scrutiny. He had shot just 33% across the first three games and managed just 12 points in Game 3.
For a player who led the team with 21.5 points per game during the regular season, looking completely out of sync on the biggest stage of Toronto’s year was not a good sign.
Sunday looked like it was trending toward more of the same: Ingram was quiet in the first quarter, managing just two points and converting just one of his seven shots from the field.
But the second quarter is where Ingram started asserting himself. Cleveland’s defense had leaned heavily on Dean Wade’s physicality to neutralize Ingram in the first two road games, but it couldn’t replicate that formula on Sunday. Ingram began attacking closeouts and getting to his spots in the mid-range, and finished the period with 10 points (50% from the field).
Though inefficient the rest of the night, Ingram finished the second half with 11 points. His defining moment came when he buried a triple, cutting Cleveland’s lead to two points with 2:36 left on the game clock.
The clutch shot brought the crowd completely alive and swung momentum irreversibly Toronto’s way.
From there it was over. RJ Barrett made big shots late to seal it, and the Raptors’ closing run finished the Cavaliers off.
The series now returns to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday.