The Raptors released their injury report before Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Toronto Raptors dropped Game 1 of the NBA playoffs to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon. After working hard to secure the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, Toronto drew a new-look Cleveland team in the opening round. Acquiring James Harden ahead of the NBA trade deadline from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Darius Garland, Cleveland went all in on this iteration of the roster that includes Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and others.
For Toronto, this core is still ascending. Brandon Ingram is in his first full season after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans last year, while Scottie Barnes is continuing to emerge into one of the more well-rounded players in the NBA. As far as the supporting cast goes, point guard Immanuel Quickley has been a revelation for Toronto this season. Carving out a nice role for himself with the Raptors after being a highly touted prospect with the New York Knicks, Quickley has been very important to Toronto.
Unfortunately for Quickley and the team, he was sidelined for Game 1 of the series due to a hamstring injury. Ahead of Game 2, which will also be played in Cleveland, the Raptors announced that Quickley had been upgraded to questionable with the hamstring injury. This of course does not mean he will make his return, but it is a relatively positive sign, as he has not been ruled out a full day in advance.
"Raptors are just heading into practice. Darko says they’re going to see how much Quickley (hamstring) can do on the court today and go from there," Josh Lewenberg of TSN reported before sharing Quickley's questionable listing.
Getting their starting point guard back would be huge for the Raptors, as the offense often looked discombobulated against Cleveland. With an elite defensive duo in Mobley and Allen, the Cavaliers can create problems for opponents, even with the susceptible point-of-attack defense of both Harden and Mitchell. Quickley is the exact type of guard who can break that down, and his absence was very noticeable in Game 1.
These 4-5 first-round match ups are often among the very best in the NBA playoffs. Game 1 left a lot to be desired, as Cleveland was in control the entire way. If Toronto can answer with a victory in Game 2, the Raptors will feel a lot better heading back home with the series tied 1-1. If they can also do that with a healthy Quickley, the momentum in the series could swing fast.