Toronto Raptors Injury Report Against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of ECQF

The biggest game of the Toronto Raptors’ season comes tonight at 8:00 PM EST in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Scotiabank Arena. They face a 0-2 deficit after two comfortable victories for the home team, led by the superstar backcourt duo of 11-time All-Star James Harden and seven-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell. 

Simply put, the Raptors need all the help they can get on both ends of the floor. They have been unable to affect the Cavaliers' backcourt hardly at all, while simultaneously struggling to take care of the basketball on the offensive end. Succumbing to the dominance that comes with 230+ playoff games of experience from Harden and Mitchell is something the Raptors may have been expected to do, but their inability to match the Cavaliers' buckets on the offensive end has cost them the first two games of the series. 

Playing without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley to start the series has proven to be detrimental to Toronto’s offensive stability. With some of the most playoff experience of anyone on this young Raptors team, his ability to control the tempo in the half-court and guide players on both ends of the floor is much-needed when the pressure is at its highest. He has missed both of the previous two games with a mild hamstring strain that has left him day-to-day since the regular season finale. 

Going into the all-important Game 3 matchup, the Raptors don’t have better news according to the official NBA injury report. In fact, there is another lingering concern just hours before tipoff. 

Toronto’s point guard has again been ruled out just two hours before tipoff. However, he was joined by second-year guard Ja’Kobe Walter, who was initially questionable with an illness, but is now ready to go. 

Being without Quickley has already been a problem for the Raptors in this series, but if the team’s best three-point shooter isn't at his best, they will be in trouble. Three-point shooting was miraculously one of the highlights from Game 1, where the team shot 13-for-27 from distance. They came back down to Earth in Game 2, where they shot just 7-for-26 from three. The typical lack of outside shooting has proven to be a problem, especially late in games, and without Walter, the already subpar half-court offense becomes even more one-dimensional. 

Starting center Jakob Poeltl has been especially poor in this series, providing very little to the team’s interior scoring and defense, along with rebounding on both ends. Having Quickley by his side really unlocks his game with the pick-and-roll partnership that allows both players to succeed if they maintain aggression. With him out of the lineup yet again, don't be surprised if standout rookie lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles is instead inserted in the starting lineup.