Just when the Toronto Raptors seemed to be finding their footing, the floor gave way beneath them.

Playing in Charlotte, the Raptors trailed 78–70 entering the fourth quarter—trouble, but hardly the real concern. The bigger blow came moments earlier, when one of their most reliable scorers, Brandon Ingram, was forced into an early exit. Shortly after, the team made it official.

Ingram suffered a right thumb sprain and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

The injury occurred in the second quarter as Ingram reached in to poke the ball free from Kon Kneuppel. His thumb jammed on the play, and though he briefly stayed on the floor, he never returned after halftime. Ja’Kobe Walter took his spot in the starting lineup for the second half.

Before leaving, Ingram logged just over 10 minutes, scoring six points on 2-of-7 shooting, while adding two assists and three blocks—an all-around impact cut short far too soon.

There was a sliver of optimism at first. Ingram is a left-handed shooter, and the injury was to his right thumb, offering hope he might push through until the final report. That hope, however, didn’t last.

The Hornets just came off a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. You don’t want to be undermanned without a big against this team.

Brandon had led the game with 19 points in the 118-100 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. They secured their seventh win in 11 games. It almost looked like they weren’t continuing the streak. However, that changed in the final seconds of the game.

Without Ingram, the Raptors won 96-97. After trailing the Hornets for most of the game, too. This doesn’t look so great for the forward.

Brandon Ingram’s injury history hampers an elite career

When healthy, the 28-year-old forward remains one of the league’s most gifted scorers. At 6’8″, Ingram creates shots with effortless grace from anywhere on the floor—mid-range pull-ups, step-back threes, or drives that exploit his length and footwork.

In his first full season with the Raptors after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans at the 2025 trade deadline (in a deal that sent Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and draft picks to the Pels), he’s been a revelation.

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Through 37 games, Ingram is averaging 22.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 47.6% field-goal shooting and 35.3% from three.

That durability streak—Ingram had appeared in every game this season entering Wednesday—ended abruptly against the Hornets.

The injury overshadowed what could have been a dominant performance from Ingram, but the team rallied without him. Toronto trailed by as many as 10 in the fourth before storming back.

With 1.6 seconds left and the score tied at 94-94 after LaMelo Ball’s driving layup gave Charlotte a brief lead, Immanuel Quickley delivered the heroics.

Off an inbounds play from Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quickley curled around a screen and drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer—his third of the night—for the dramatic one-point win.

Quickley’s 21 points (including clutch fourth-quarter scoring) stole the spotlight, while RJ Barrett led all scorers with 28.

It’s a feel-good moment for a Raptors squad that’s won five of its last six, but it masks vulnerability. Toronto’s depth has been tested before, and they’ve struggled when key pieces miss time.

Ingram’s history amplifies the worry—last season with the Pelicans, a left ankle sprain limited him to just 18 games before the trade. Injuries have repeatedly disrupted what could have been even greater peaks in his career.