Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram exits with heel injury

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram was forced to leave Wednesday night’s 125-120 Game 5 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers after aggravating a right heel injury.

Ingram, who had already missed three games late in the regular season with a foot issue, suffered the setback in the second quarter while attempting to drive past Evan Mobley.

The 26-year-old played just 11 minutes, failing to make either of his two shot attempts before heading to the locker room with 7:32 remaining in the period. He finished with one point, two assists and one rebound.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković confirmed the extent of the concern after the game.

"He reaggravated the heel on one play," Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said after the game.

"We tried to re-tape him. At halftime, he tried to activate to see if he could be ready for the second half, and he was not ready to come and play in the second half. Tomorrow we'll know more when we do more evaluations."Ingram has struggled for form throughout the series, averaging 14.8 points while shooting just 33.9% from the field over the opening four games.

Despite leading 74-67 at the interval and taking a narrow 103-100 advantage into the final quarter, Toronto were unable to close out the game.

Forward Scottie Barnes admitted Ingram’s absence proved costly.

The Raptors now trail the Eastern Conference first-round series 3-2, with injuries continuing to hamper their campaign.