Injuries keep coming for Raptors

The Toronto Raptors could be without two starters for their monumental matchup tonight against the Cavaliers in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. However, if anyone thinks tonight's game will be a pushover, think again. The Raptors might not have the overall talent that Cleveland possesses, but they play harder and with more force. That's why the possibility of playing without power forward Brandon Ingram (right heel inflammation) and point guard Immanuel Quickley (strained calf) might not make a huge difference. Ingram has not been ruled out of Game 6, but he played just 11 minutes of the Cavs' 125-120 decision Wednesday at Rocket Arena. "He aggravated his heel," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. "We taped it up at halftime, but he was unable to go." Toronto's Scottie Barnes also suffered a quad injury and was a bit hobbled in the second half. Cleveland holds a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven series and can close tonight at Scotiabank Arena. Neither team has won on the road in this tight series, and Game 7 would be at Rocket Arena on Sunday. "We have to come out with the same energy we had in the second half (of Game 5)," Cavs center Jarrett Allen said. "That's what winning basketball should be for us. We were attacking, aggressive on both ends of the court and rebounding. If we do that, we can have it in the bag." With a win in Game 6, Cleveland would advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third consecutive season. It holds an 11-1 all-time series record when leading 3-2 in any postseason series. The Cavs tried to get their two big men more involved in Game 5. Power forward Evan Mobley had one of his best games of the series with 23 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and one steal. His 3-point shooting was a difference-maker in the game, as he buried all three of his attempts. "Hitting those three threes were incredible," Allen said. "He was making the defense second guess themselves and going out and being the star that he is." Allen wasn't as productive but finished with nine points, three rebounds and three blocks. He has 11 rejections in his last four games. "It's my job to clean things up," he said. Coach Kenny Atkinson commended his starting center. "He's our unsung hero," he said. "They were going to the rim hard. He really stepped up." Allen said "everybody brought it" on defense in the second half. "We told each other we weren't playing like ourselves, weren't playing Cavs basketball," he said. "There was another level we took it to, an extra effort ." Atkinson decided to start Max Strus at small forward instead of Dean Wade, but Cleveland's efficiency picked up once Wade entered the game. Wade finished with just seven points, three rebounds and one steal but gave the team a big boost. "I thought we needed more spacing," Atkinson said. "Max gives you some playmaking, too, which I felt we needed. It had nothing to do with the way Dean has been playing." Strus ended with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal, while Wade was 3-for-10 from the field, which excited Mitchell. "I loved that Dean Wade took 10 shots," Mitchell said. Movin' on up Cavs point guard James Harden played in his 177th career postseason game, tied for 20th in NBA history. With his 10th point of Game 5, he reached 4,000 in his postseason career, becoming the 12th player in postseason history with at least 4,000 points. Harden (292) also tied Manu Ginobili (292) for 10th all time. Triple fun Cleveland converted 18-for-36 from the 3-point line (.500) In Game 5, which was its best effort thus far in the 2026 postseason. It was the sixth time in Cavs postseason history they've had 18 or more 3-pointers in a game and shot .500 or better. The last time they had 18 or more 3-pointers was June 9, 2017, against Golden State (24-for-45, .533). Cleveland ranked eighth in the NBA this season in 3-pointers made with 1,173. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.