Brandon Ingram and a quiet professionalism have Raptors on verge of NBA playoffs

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Yet considering how bunched together the fifth through 10th seeds in the Eastern Conference have been for the last several weeks, the stakes were more tangible than, say, on a random Tuesday in January. “It was humbling the other night. (What we said to one another) is between us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday, before the two teams played again, when asked if the team had a meeting following the game. “We do our thing. Everybody knows how we are. Some people probably think it’s over the top, but we were embarrassed the other night.” Barring an improbable playoff run, which will likely require them working their way up from the 10th seed, nobody will remember this Heat team among the greatest iterations of a franchise that doesn’t lack for pride. Nonetheless, that the Raptors could essentially embarrass the Heat again two days later, never losing their heads when things could have gotten testy, explains why Toronto is slowly marching toward the playoffs: This is a professional team that handles its business, as evidenced by its 128-114 win Thursday. “We weren’t satisfied,” RJ Barrett said of the attitude coming out of Tuesday’s blowout. “That was a big thing coming out: not being satisfied.” While there are fair questions about whether they can get to another level, both in the postseason and in future seasons, the Raptors (45-35) have been admirably professional this season. It’s not sexy, but it’s got them here: With a win in New York on Friday or against the Nets at home Sunday, they will avoid the Play-In and advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2023. If they win both, they will finish fifth in the conference. Professionalism, plus a player who can score as dynamically as Brandon Ingram, can take you this far. If and when the Raptors clinch a playoff spot, there will be more sterling perimeter defenders waiting for Ingram than the Heat could throw at him. But he was excellent the only prior time he entered the playoffs healthy, averaging 27 points and more than six rebounds and six assists in a six-game series with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022, and looks ready to go again. He had 38 points, seven rebounds and seven assists against the Heat, ranking among the best performances by a Raptor this season. (Alas, he just missed the submission date.) “It’s a good time to be in rhythm,” Ingram said in his typically understated way. If the Raptors came in ready for Miami’s embarrassment to transform into harder play, Ingram deserves a lot of the credit. After a rough Raptors start that included Scottie Barnes picking up two quick fouls, Ingram attacked repeatedly. In one stretch, he drew free throws with aggressive drives on two consecutive possessions, hit a jumper plus a foul, hit a baseline jumper and then, after finally missing, attracted so much attention that Collin Murray-Boyles feasted on the offensive glass. The Raptors nosed ahead and didn’t let go. It was the type of performance the Raptors hoped for when they traded for Ingram in February 2025. Perhaps his definitive play of the evening was a miss: He tried to crown Heat reserve centre Kel’el Ware. It went off the back of the rim and soared into the sky, at which point he was ready to tip the rebound in. “I definitely wanted to dunk the ball over Kel’el Ware,” Ingram said. “I definitely wanted that. This pinky right here, I couldn’t get my hand around the ball.” Ingram, like his team, stayed ready for the next opportunity. As the Heat finally started to get hot from deep after six cold quarters this week, Ingram made enough plays to keep the Raptors above water. As Miami cut 19 points from Toronto’s 26-point lead in the third quarter, Ingram hit a difficult shot over Bam Adebayo, attacked Norman Powell in transition for a bucket and got on the floor to make sure the Raptors got a loose ball. And when he would have been excused for taking a 3 on the Raptors’ last possession of the quarter, he instead kicked it to Immanuel Quickley for the clean look. Aggressive, but not selfish. It’s a hard balance to strike. “It was a great performance, and now he’s in trouble,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “Now we know what he can do, so we’re going to expect it.” Beyond Ingram, the Raptors did what they have done so often this year: their jobs. If the Raptors have struggled against the league’s best teams, the flip side is that they have generally handled their peers and stomped the league’s worst teams. And a lot of that comes down to preparation and mindset. The Raptors turned the ball over just once in the first half, and only six times for the night. A few of those were shot-clock violations — dead-ball turnovers. The Heat are third in fast-break points, and the first step to avoiding those is to not give the ball away. “It’s just being prepared for the matchup,” said Murray-Boyles, who continues to provide unimpeachable minutes off the bench in his rookie season. “I think that was a good playoff prep. Guys were being mature.” For a team that is so young and has so little playoff experience, maturity is an auspicious trait. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Eric Koreen is a senior writer covering the Raptors and the NBA. Previously, he has written for the National Post, Canadian Press, Sportsnet and Complex.