Things took a scary turn when the Raptors hosted the Pacers tonight. It was bad enough for Gradey Dick to leave for the locker room while the Raptors are up 74-67. He took a hard fall while pursuing an offensive rebound. He went to the locker room and has been ruled out for the rest of the game. At this moment the Raptors are in the lead with a minute left in the third quarter. Since securing their spot in the Knockout Rounds of the NBA Cup 2025, the Raptors are looking for a ninth consecutive win. The Pacers have already been eliminated from contention.

It’s not clear where he got injured but according to some reporters, he hit the back of his head on the floor in the second quarter. He stayed in the game for a brief while but eventually went to the locker room to get evaluated.

He never emerged in the second half. He only played less than seven minutes and had no points in that time but got three rebounds and one assist.

The jokes this has spawned on the Internet will make you feel bad for laughing. It should be blamed on Charles Barkley and his bashfulness about saying the guard’s name. But really, that kind of fall is scary even for those watching.

The wing is a key rotational player to the Raptors coming off the bench when they need to pace Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and RJ Barrett. He is averaging 7.2 points and 1.9 rebounds over the past 18 games.

The Raptors can’t afford to lose key players

Right now the Raptors are also down RJ Barrett. He limped out of the game against the Cavaliers on Monday after landing wrong on a dunk. The only positive is that the MRIs were clear and he’s been diagnosed with a sprain which sidelines him for a week till he can be re-evaluated.

These awkward stumbles are apparently getting to the Raptors players. After RJ, it’s now gotten Gradey. The team is likely to depend on Ja’Kobe Walters and Collin Murray-Boyles to make up the deficit. That’s already dicey with Collin getting into foul trouble early in the game.

Without their strongest role-player, things got a little shaky for Toronto. The Pacers were catching up in the fourth. It looked like their winning streak was almost broken but the game ended in a nailbiter, 97-95 win for the Raptors.

But instead of celebrating this, the Raptors staff would probably be concerned about Gradey Dick. He’d have to be placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol. Depending on the severity of the injury, he might miss several games. It’s similar to how Cavs’ Jaylon Tyson was sidelined for five straight games due to a concussion.

This is shaping to be one of the best seasons the Raptors have had in recent years. They’re going to need both Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett to return before the NBA Cup’s quarterfinals.