Raptors Injury News: Barnes and Ingram ruled out vs. Celtics
The Toronto Raptors will be without their two prospective all-stars against a tough Boston Celtics squad on Friday.
Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram were both ruled out for the game, the Raptors announced on Friday. It will be the first contest missed by either Barnes or Ingram this season; they rank fifth and eighth in total minutes played in 2025-26, respectively.
Both players were injured in the Raptors’ narrow 97-96 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
Barnes sustained a right knee sprain in the fourth quarter. He exited to the locker room to be examined by medical staff at roughly the 10 minute mark of the final frame, but returned for the final two minutes to aid in the Raptors’ buzzer-beater win.
Ingram jammed his thumb while trying poke the ball away from Kon Knueppel in the first quarter, eventually exiting in the second. He was ruled day-to-day after the game.
The 28-year-old wing is averaging 21.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 38 games. His shot making helped reorganize the Raptors offence early in the season and boost them to among the best in the league. But they’ve also been overreliant on Ingram at times as it’s fallen back to earth.
Barnes, 24, is averaging 19.1 points, 8.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals per game this season. His 107 stocks (steals+blocks) leads the NBA. Thanks to his exceptional defensive playmaking, ability to stuff the stat sheet and push in fan voting spurred on by head coach Darko Rajaković, Barnes joined Ingram in the top 15 in all-star voting after initially being left out of the top 20.
Barnes also grabbed 25 boards against the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 28, tying the franchise record set by Bismack Biyombo in 2016.
The Raptors have managed to rebound well without their starting centre, Jakob Poeltl, for the last eight games, posting an above average rebounding rate in each. Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles have held it down on the glass.
But Boston ranks sixth in both offensive rebounds per game and offensive rebounding percentage so far this season, and without Barnes, Murray-Boyles will need plenty of help from the supporting cast to stand a chance in the battle for boards.
The 20-year-old has averaged 9.7 rebounds over his last six games since Poeltl last played, including a career-high 15-board effort against the Hornets.
Without Barnes, their best defender, and Ingram, their top scorer, the Raptors will need their role players to step in order to beat Boston for the first time this season after losing their first two meetings. Two-ways AJ Lawson and Alijah Martin will also be with the team to potentially help fill out the rotation.
The Raptors’ third-ranked defence will also undoubtedly take a hit with Barnes unable to go. Read more about how they’ve built a uniquely successful defensive unit in Samson’s new piece.
The post Raptors Injury News: Barnes and Ingram ruled out vs. Celtics first appeared on Raptors Republic.