Lights Out: Raptors adjusting to early start time

TORONTO – Success in the NBA playoffs is all about adjustments. Who can make the necessary tweaks to adapt their game to what the series demands?

For renowned napper Brandon Ingram, that means moving up his bedtime.

“Trying to get in the bed earlier today,” said Ingram after practice at Toronto’s OVO Athletic Centre. “My girl’s around so she’ll get on my nerves enough where I just want to go to sleep.”

Turning in early will be a necessity for Ingram — and anyone else on the Raptors who likes to nap — as Toronto hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of their opening round series at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. Cleveland leads the best-of-seven matchup 2-1.

Starting centre Jakob Poeltl isn’t sure if the unusually early tipoff will help or hinder either team.

“It might, it might not, but it’s the same for both teams,” he said. “I don’t think it really matters. We have early games throughout the season every now and then, so everybody should know what it feels like. I think we’re fine.

“It kind of changes the routine, obviously, because all day just kind of changes, but you still try to do the same things before the game.”

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said he scheduled Saturday’s off-day practice to line up with Sunday’s start time to helps his players create a rhythm for the weekend.

“We’re giving guys 24 hours to get ready until tomorrow,” said Rajakovic. “We’ve got to focus on things that we’re controlling.

“Those are our defensive, offensive fundamentals, our culture. That’s the main focus of it. There is not much you can do regarding your body clock.”

Toronto looked flat in back-to-back losses to start the series in Cleveland but routed the Cavaliers 126-104 in Game 3 on Thursday. Ingram said it was because everyone was more aggressive on defence.

“They didn’t make as many shots. We tried to slow down (all-star guards) Donovan Mitchell and (James) Harden a little bit more,” said Ingram. “I think Harden still got some shots that he wanted, of course, but we just tried to limit Donovan Mitchell’s touches in that game and just make them take tough shots.

“Guys just stepped up. We needed everybody, and everybody was there.”

The Raptors announced on Friday that Immanuel Quickley would miss the rest of the team’s first-round series. Quickley had missed the first three games against Cleveland with a right hamstring strain.

He had been progressing through escalating tests but aggravated the injury on Thursday when doing the latest round of tests.

Poeltl, who was an effective pick-and-roll partner with Quickley in the regular season, said Toronto wants the point guard back as soon as possible.

“He’s been somewhat of a staple, at least with me, on the court, for me to play off of,” sad Poeltl. ” quick. But now we just got to make the most of what we have. Like I said earlier, we have a deep team. We have a lot of team, a lot of guys that can come in and have an impact on this team. So we just got to go to the next option.

Quickley averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 assists in 70 starts this season. He had missed all of Toronto’s playoff games, including Toronto’s 126-104 Game 3 win, before he was officially ruled out for the rest of the series.

Second-year guard Ja’Kobe Walter started in Quickley’s place for Game 3. Jamal Shead had been in the lineup for the first two games of the series.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2026.

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