The Toronto Raptors will play the final game of their five-game road trip against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday at the Intuit Dome. They have gone 2-2 during this period and come into the game off the back of a 143-127 victory over the Utah Jazz.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are looking to improve from the .500 mark (36-36) and come into this game looking to complete a hat-trick of wins. They emerged 129-96 winners the last time around with Kawhi Leonard returning with 28 points and five rebounds. However, he is questionable for this one.
On the other hand, the Raptors are also shorthanded and have multiple potential absentees. Among them is none other than Brandon Ingram, who is listed as questionable on the official injury report due to heel inflammation in his right leg, a problem that forced him out of the win against the Jazz.
Brandon Ingram’s injury status vs. Clippers
Given Brandon Ingram is questionable on the injury report, his availability remains uncertain heading into this late-night contest in Los Angeles. Ingram did play against the Phoenix Suns but had an off night, scoring just six points in 27 minutes while getting four rebounds and three blocks on 3-10 shooting. Toronto lost that game 120-98.
They enter this matchup at 40-31, which is good for 5th in the East. The Raptors scored 143 points in their last game, also recording a franchise-record 49 assists, suggesting that they are more than capable of hurting defenses even without Ingram.
However, four of their starters finished with more than 20 points, led by RJ Barrett, who returned with 27 while Scottie Barnes had a double-double of 20 points and 10 assists. At the same time, Ingram is averaging 21.6 points per game and Toronto will need the likes of Barrett and Barnes to take up offensive responsibility if he ends up missing his second straight game.
Barrett has scored more than 20 points in 10 of his last 15 games, while Barnes is going at 18.6 points per game for the season. This matchup presents a contrast in styles, with Toronto relying heavily on ball movement and assist-driven offense (third in the NBA at 29.1 assists per game), while Los Angeles leans on shot efficiency and halfcourt scoring.
Regardless, the Clippers have won six of their last eight games at the Intuit Dome while averaging 127.3 points across that span. They also continue to remain an efficient offensive unit, ranking among the league leaders in both field goal percentage (48.5%) and three-point shooting (36.5%), while also leading the NBA in free-throw percentage (82.6%).
LA also won the first meeting between the two sides this season 121-117 in overtime. Still, Leonard is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists this campaign and LA’s ability to build on that run may as well come down to whether their best player plays.
Raptors injury report
Brandon Ingram — Questionable (right foot; heel inflammation)
Immanuel Quickley — Questionable (right foot; plantar fasciitis)
Jakob Poeltl — Questionable (back; injury management)
Chucky Hepburn — Out (G League two-way)
A.J. Lawson — Out (G League two-way)
Alijah Martin — Out (G League two-way)
Clippers injury report
Kawhi Leonard — Questionable (left ankle; sprain)
Jordan Miller — Questionable (back; soreness)
Bradley Beal — Out (left hip; fracture)
Yanic Konan Niederhauser — Out (right Lisfranc ligament tear)
