Raptors Vs Pelicans as Brandon Ingram returns to New Orleans and Toronto gets key injury boost
raptors vs pelicans arrives at a pivotal moment Wednesday night, with Brandon Ingram set to play on the Smoothie King Center floor for the first time in 459 days and Toronto getting healthier in the frontcourt just before the matchup.
What Happens When Raptors Vs Pelicans becomes a homecoming for Brandon Ingram?
Ingram has not played a game in the Smoothie King Center since Dec. 7, 2024, the night he limped off the court after suffering an ankle sprain in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He did not wear a New Orleans Pelicans uniform again after that injury, and he was traded two months later to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown and a pair of draft picks.
Now, Ingram returns to the building in Raptors colors for the first time, in a game that carries both competitive weight and emotional context. Pelicans interim coach James Borrego framed the night as one that should recognize Ingram’s history with the franchise and the city.
“He shares a lot of relationships here, so it should be a fun game, ” Borrego said. “I hope more than anything the city welcomes him back and embraces him. He gave a lot to this city. Blood, sweat and tears. He was a competitor. ”
During his 5½ seasons in New Orleans, Ingram’s resume included selection to the 2019-20 All-Star Game and the league’s Most Improved Player award that season. At the time he was traded in February 2025, he was also one of five players in franchise history to rank in the top 10 in points, rebounds and assists, alongside Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and David West. The context has since shifted slightly, with Zion Williamson moving into 10th place on the rebounding list and bumping Ingram out of the top 10 in that category.
Ingram’s on-court legacy in New Orleans also includes the 2021-22 first-round playoff series in which the Pelicans pushed the top-seeded Phoenix Suns to six games. Ingram averaged 27 points, 6. 2 rebounds and 6. 2 assists in that series, a performance that helped shape optimism around the team’s direction at the time.
What If Toronto’s improved health changes the battle in the paint?
Toronto enters the matchup with a meaningful update: Jakob Poeltl and Trayce Jackson-Davis will be available after being labeled questionable ahead of the game. The news was first shared by Sportsnet reporter Michael Grange.
The timing matters because the Raptors recently played without their centers against the Rockets, and their absence affected how the game unfolded. The Raptors struggled to rebound, and head coach Darko Rajakovic pointed to the glass as a key issue afterward.
“Rebounding was definitely a big part of the game. We did not do good good enough job in the first half, ” Rajakovic said postgame. “They got seven offensive rebounds in the second quarter, three in the first quarter. Throughout the course of the game they just continued to dominate the glass. ”
Rajakovic also highlighted execution issues beyond rebounding, including transition conversion and missed open looks.
“We turned it over we turned them over 18 times. I think that we did a good job there with our ball pressure. We did not convert good enough in transition. That was that was a big deal there. And honestly we had a bunch of wide open shots that shot did not go in tonight. ”
That recent context sharpened the focus on size and rebounding, especially with the note that it did not get easier for Toronto without a player taller than Jonathan Mogbo, who stands 6-9. With Poeltl and Jackson-Davis available, Toronto’s interior rotation looks more stable heading into Wednesday night.
What Happens When rest and momentum collide on Wednesday night?
The scheduling backdrop adds another layer. The Pelicans enter the matchup fresh off a 20-point win from the weekend and have two full days of rest going into the game. That could be a factor against a Raptors team coming off what was described as a tough game against the Rockets.
At the same time, Toronto’s returning centers may blunt some of the challenges that appeared in the Rockets game, particularly on the boards. The contest therefore sets up as a clash between New Orleans’ rest advantage and Toronto’s improved availability in the frontcourt.
Wednesday night’s raptors vs pelicans game also doubles as a stage for Ingram’s first game back in the arena since his final New Orleans appearance ended with injury, making the matchup notable both for its immediate competitive stakes and its long-running personal arc.
