Brandon Ingram finished with 17 points, two rebounds, four assists and one block in 36 minutes on 5-for-9 shooting.
A postgame note highlighted Ingram’s second half: four points on 0-for-1 shooting, as Toronto remained 5-18 all-time in Game 1s. The stat line underscored the challenge of starting the series on the road.
After the game, Ingram addressed the media with a blunt assessment of his role, saying: “Coach wanted to use me as a screener… He noticed that my man wasn’t coming off of me. He wanted me outside of the action a little bit of being a receiver… At the end of the day, me shooting nine shots is not gonna win a basketball game.”
Ingram is in his first season with the Raptors, a storyline that has colored expectations around his fit and usage in Toronto’s offense.
During the regular season, Ingram averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 47.7% from the field and 38.2% from three in 77 games. The Raptors will look to adjust and respond as the series shifts.
