Immanuel Quickley ruled out for Game 5 with right hamstring strain

Immanuel Quickley is out for Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, and the Toronto Raptors are without one of their guards again in a tied first-round series. The right hamstring strain keeps him sidelined for a fifth consecutive contest.

Raptors on a short guard rotation

Toronto and Cleveland entered Game 5 tied 2-2, so the absence lands in the middle of the series rather than after it. The Raptors won Game 4 at home on Sunday afternoon, then headed to Cleveland for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip at with Quickley unavailable.

That leaves Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter positioned for larger minutes if Toronto tightens its guard rotation. Quickley’s missed stretch has already reached five straight games, and the club expected him to miss the remainder of the first round because of the hamstring strain.

Cavaliers enter clean

Cleveland had nobody on its injury report for Game 5, a cleaner setup than Toronto’s roster picture. The Cavaliers were also listed with a clean injury report going into Game 4, before the Raptors stole that game at home.

For Toronto, the practical question is no longer whether Quickley will suit up in this game. It is whether the Raptors can cover another playoff night without one of their guards while the series stays level and the margin for error gets smaller.

Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden are part of the matchup, but the immediate roster swing centers on Quickley’s absence and the minutes it pushes toward Shead and Walter. Toronto already has its answer for Game 5; the lineup now has to supply one more against a Cavaliers team with a full injury report.