Imagn
Raptors
Brandon Ingram just kept firing. Toronto just kept winning.
Ingram launched 30 shots on Monday night and turned them into 37 points as the Raptors took out the Cavaliers by 11, pushing their winning streak to eight.
It wasn’t always elegant, but it was exactly what they needed.
“He’s a player, especially when he gets going, we as a team recognize that,” coach Darko Rajakovic said, via The Athletic’s Eric Koreen. “We need that. It’s good for us.
“At the same time, we’ve got to stay inside our principles… finding him through that style of play as well.”
The Raptors are leaning into Ingram’s firepower without abandoning their ball-movement identity. Right now, it’s clicking.
76ers
Paul George was expected to play Tuesday in Orlando. Then he wasn’t.
George sat with ankle soreness after being listed as probable, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters, per The Athletic’s Tony Jones.
Nurse doesn’t know yet whether George will miss additional games. The veteran has appeared in only three contests this month.
Jones also took a wider look at the roster and found the uncomfortable truth — the Sixers don’t have the depth to absorb injuries like the East’s top teams.
“Yeah, we have to do the best that we can,” Nurse said. “We have to plug in who we can plug in. Some of the decisions work, some don’t. The ones that don’t, we have to change.”
Philly is patching holes and simply hoping the patching holds.
Celtics
Boston will be without its defensive anchor on Wednesday.
Starting center Neemias Queta will sit for the first time this season after spraining his left ankle in Sunday’s win over Orlando, per Brian Robb of MassLive.
His absence is no small thing. The Celtics allow a staggering 25.7 fewer points per 100 possessions when Queta is on the floor.
He’s averaging career highs across the board (9.3 points, 7.9 rebounds), and has quietly become one of the most important pieces on the roster.
Without him, Boston will lean on Xavier Tillman, Chris Boucher and Luka Garza to hold down the middle.
Queta’s three-year, $7.2 million deal is only partially guaranteed next season, but his impact so far suggests he’s earning job security in real time.
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