{"id":320370,"date":"2026-04-18T00:04:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=320370"},"modified":"2026-04-18T00:04:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:34:39","slug":"playoffs-give-ingram-barnes-probability-to-shine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/04\/18\/playoffs-give-ingram-barnes-probability-to-shine\/","title":{"rendered":"Playoffs give Ingram, Barnes probability to shine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>TORONTO \u2013 It\u2019s time for Toronto Raptors all-stars Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes to step up and so they understand it.<\/p>\n<p>Ingram and Barnes will probably be centre stage when the Raptors begin their first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon. Ingram, who was Toronto\u2019s top scorer within the regular season, said that after six days off between games he\u2019ll be prepared for the intensity of the post-season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m able to be effective in any way that I might be, whether it\u2019s offensively or defensively,\u201d said Ingram at OVO Athletic Centre, the Raptors\u2019 practice facility. \u201cBut, in some unspecified time in the future in the sport, you\u2019ve got to provide it to your best players and allow them to go make a play.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barnes\u2019s 18.1 points per game were the third most for Toronto behind RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., who scored 19.3. More importantly, the six-foot-eight Barnes is the Raptors\u2019 defensive linchpin, guarding all five positions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad c-ad--tallSticky\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI feel like I\u2019m great defensively, I help our team so much, and I\u2019m top-of-the-line defenders within the NBA,\u201d said Barnes, who led Toronto with 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. \u201cI take pride in that and that\u2019s all the time been me from once I first began.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s where my energy comes from and that\u2019s what I take pride in each time I step onto the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"l-article__part\" data-shortcode=\"related_videos\">\n<div class=\"l-inlineStories l-inlineStories--video\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"l-inlineStories__title\">Related Videos<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<section id=\"miniplayer-carousel\" class=\"l-videoCarousel l-videoCarousel--embed c-carousel\" 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data-displayinline-sticky=\"true\" data-permutive-data='{\"content\":{\"name\":\"NHL, NBA playoffs kick-off this weekend\",\"type\":\"video\",\"sections\":[\"videos\",\"toronto\",\"sports\"],\"keywords\":[\"global-news-morning\",\"montreal-canadiens\",\"playoffs\",\"short-clip\",\"toronto-raptors\",\"global-news-morning-toronto\"],\"iab\":{\"categories\":[\"Sports\/Team Sports\/Basketball\",\"News\",\"Sports\",\"News\/Sports News\",\"Sports\/Team Sports\"],\"tags\":[\"Basketball\",\"Brandon Ingram\",\"Cleveland Cavaliers\",\"Darko Rajakoviu0107\",\"Defender (association football)\",\"Donovan Mitchell\",\"Energy\",\"Evan Mobley\",\"Facebuster\",\"Head coach\",\"Immanuel Quickley\",\"Jakob Pu00f6ltl\",\"James Harden\",\"Jarrett Allen\",\"LeBron James\",\"Mikal Bridges\",\"Mississauga\",\"National Basketball Association\",\"NBA playoffs\",\"New Orleans Pelicans\",\"New York City\",\"New York Knicks\",\"Oklahoma\",\"Oklahoma City Thunder\",\"OVO Athletic Centre\",\"Philadelphia\",\"Philadelphia 76ers\",\"Phoenix Suns\",\"Playoffs\",\"Points per game\",\"Pride\",\"Rebound (basketball)\",\"RJ Barrett\",\"Scottie Barnes\",\"Steal (basketball)\",\"The Canadian Press\",\"Toronto\",\"Toronto Raptors\"]}}}'>\n<div class=\"c-video__inner \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-video__placeholder\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-video__image\" alt=\"Click to play video: 'NHL, NBA playoffs kick-off this weekend'\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/media.globalnews.ca\/videostatic\/news\/b2wkul1jpo-ylkk0xdczi\/GNMNHLANDNBAPLAYOFFSSTILL.jpg?w=1040&#038;quality=70&#038;strip=all\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"auto, \" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 1040px) 1040px,(min-width: 720px) 720px,450px\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-video__overlay\"><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"c-video__duration\">4:55<\/time><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"c-video__title\">NHL, NBA playoffs kick-off this weekend<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"l-videoCarousel__glide glide \">\n<div class=\"glide__arrows c-carousel__buttons l-videoCarousel__buttons\" data-glide-el=\"controls\">\n\t<button class=\"glide__arrow glide__arrow--left c-carousel__button c-carousel__prev l-videoCarousel__button l-videoCarousel__prev c-longform-gallery__prev\" data-glide-dir=\"<\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<span class=\"sr-only\">Previous Video<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t<button class=\"glide__arrow glide__arrow--right c-carousel__button c-carousel__next l-videoCarousel__button l-videoCarousel__next c-longform-gallery__next\" data-glide-dir=\">&#8220;><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<span class=\"sr-only\">Next Video<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t<button class=\"c-carousel__goto\" data-glide-dir=\"=0\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><\/button>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<!-- video stream item --><\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Raptors (46-36) snuck up into fifth place within the Eastern Conference in the ultimate game of the regular season, organising the first-round matchup with the fourth-place Cavaliers (50-32).<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-inlineSignup\" data-newsletter-inline=\"\">\n<div class=\"c-inlineSignup__image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"170\" height=\"225\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/shaw-globalnews\/images\/skyline\/national.jpg\" alt=\"Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story.\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-inlineSignup__content\">\n<h2 class=\"c-inlineSignup__title\">Get breaking National news<\/h2>\n<p>Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox because it happens so you will not miss a trending story.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Something of a styles clash, Cleveland has a high-powered offence that may rating from any position. Guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are top-tier isolation players, while forwards Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley can defend and rating.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad c-ad--tallSticky\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Toronto plays an uptempo, physical style that emphasizes defence with heavy rotations to create mismatches with Barnes, rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles and veteran centre Jakob Poeltl the nucleus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like our possibilities and what we are able to do on the market on the ground,\u201d said Barnes. \u201cI believe we are able to do an incredible job of using our physicality on this series. I feel like our guards can do an incredible job of putting pressure on their guards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust with the ability to match their physicality, rebounding, with the ability to take it to the rim. After which BI on the market, he\u2019s going to do his thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ingram said he\u2019s excited to interrupt down the Cavaliers\u2019 defence, led by Mobley, the 2025 Defensive Player of the Yr.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe the benefit of this (series) is there\u2019s no back to backs,\u201d said Ingram. \u201cYou play one game and also you see all the pieces they did or all the pieces that they were attempting to take away, and you then just write up one other game plan and see if it\u2019s successful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m excited for that, to exit and simply to see how we are able to outsmart them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Neither Ingram nor Barnes have ever won an NBA playoff series.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-tabs\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t<button role=\"tab\" class=\"c-tabs__tab c-tabs__tab--active\" type=\"button\">More on Sports<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t<button role=\"tab\" class=\"c-tabs__tab\" type=\"button\">More videos<\/button>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ingram\u2019s Latest Orleans Pelicans lost in the primary round to the Phoenix Suns in 2022 and were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024. Barnes\u2019s only playoff appearance was Toronto\u2019s last post-season run when the Raptors lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in 2022.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad c-ad--tallSticky\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve been playing basketball their whole lives, they\u2019ve been playing for this big stage,\u201d said Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic. \u201cI know the way much this team cares about this moment within the season and the way hard they work to be on this position and to qualify for the playoffs directly. Those guys are going to do all the pieces possible to be very competitive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don&#8217;t control our end result. We control our preparation. We control what we do possession by possession and that\u2019s how we\u2019re going to approach this series.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>TALE OF THE TAPE<\/p>\n<p>Regular-season series: 3-0 for Toronto<\/p>\n<p>Points for per game: Toronto, 114.6 (twenty first); Cleveland, 119.5 (fourth)<\/p>\n<p>Points against per game: Toronto, 111.8 (ninth); Cleveland, 115.4 (fifteenth)<\/p>\n<p>Top points: Toronto, Ingram 21.5 per game; Cleveland, Mitchell 27.9 per game<\/p>\n<p>Top assists: Toronto, Immanuel Quickley 5.9 per game; Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell 5.7 per game<\/p>\n<p>Top rebounds: Toronto, Barnes 7.5 per game; Cleveland, Evan Mobley, nine per game<\/p>\n<p>The massive stat: That is the fourth time the Raptors and Cavaliers have ever met within the playoffs, with Cleveland winning the three previous series. Every Cavs win had all-time great LeBron James playing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad--bigbox l-article__ad c-ad--tallSticky\">\n<p>Story continues below commercial<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n\t\t&#038;copy 2026 The Canadian Press\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TORONTO \u2013 It\u2019s time for Toronto Raptors all-stars Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes to step up and so they understand it. Ingram and Barnes will probably be centre stage when the Raptors begin their first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon. Ingram, who was Toronto\u2019s top scorer within the regular season, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":320371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[17304,2827,7272,24239,2751,2375],"class_list":["post-320370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-barnes","tag-chance","tag-give","tag-ingram","tag-playoffs","tag-shine"],"aioseo_notices":[{"message":"The permalink for this post just changed! 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