CLEVELAND (AP) — On the heels of his team blowing a 12-point, second-half lead Wednesday night, Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic has bigger problems as the Raptors look to stave off elimination.
All-Star guard Scottie Barnes was kneed in the quadriceps by Thomas Bryant during the first half of Game 5 of the Raptors' first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Barnes was also poked in the eye during the first half on a play underneath the basket.
Meanwhile, All-Star forward Brandon Ingram didn't play the second half because of right heel inflammation. And reserve center Sandro Mamukelashvili did not play the final 12 minutes after appearing to tweak his knee on a 3-point attempt to end the third quarter.
With Barnes hobbled and Ingram sidelined, the Raptors missed their first 12 shots of the fourth quarter and fell to the Cavaliers 125-120.
“Obviously, it had some effect. I couldn’t play with that same pace that I was trying to play with," Barnes said about the quad injury, which occurred on a drive to the basket.
Barnes — who had 17 points and 11 assists in Game 5 — is averaging 24 points and eight assists in the series. RJ Barrett is the Raptors' leading scorer in the playoffs, averaging 24.4 points.
Ingram has been dealing with the heel injury for a couple of weeks. Raptors trainers tried to retape his foot during the second quarter before Ingram was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Ingram was 0 for 2 from the field and had one point, one rebound and two assists in 11 minutes. He is averaging 12 points in the series and was coming off a 23-point effort in the Raptors' Game 4 victory on Sunday.
Ingram averaged 21.5 points while playing a career-high 77 games during the regular season.
“Obviously, we need him out on the floor. His playmaking ability and his defense and everything he brings," Barnes said.
Point guard Immanuel Quickley hasn't been available during the series due to a strained right hamstring
Barnes said he would play in Game 6 on Friday night as the Raptors look to stave off elimination, but Rajakovic took a more cautious view.
“Tomorrow, we’ll know more. It’s 48 hours until the next game. I’m hopeful we’re going to have guys available,” Rajakovic said.
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Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram drives on Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley during the first half in Game 5 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, In Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Fans react after Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, front, made a 3-point basket in the final minutes of the first half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Toronto, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
ATLANTA (AP) — England desperately wanted to protect its lead as time was winding down in the World Cup semifinals. Coach Thomas Tuchel made lineup and strategy changes to build a wall in front of goal.
Argentina and Lionel Messi simply kicked it down.
England led 1-0 late in the second half before Messi assisted on goals by Enzo Fernandez in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez in the second minute of injury time to give Argentina a wild 2-1 victory Wednesday and a spot in the World Cup final against Spain.
Tuchel's tactical choices in one of the biggest matchups in one of soccer's biggest rivalries will likely be scrutinized and criticized for years. England missed its chance to return to the World Cup final for the first time since 1966.
“They won every header. They kept crossing and crossing. So we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be stronger in the air,” Tuchel said.
“Straight after our goal, with no substitutions, we just conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances. So we tried to help,” Tuchel said. “But of course the responsibility is on the coach. And … if it doesn’t go well, it’s easy to say that it was wrong.”
Tuchel’s chess moves just couldn’t contain Messi, the maestro of Argentina’s attacks.
England's loss marked only the second time this century that the team that scored first in a World Cup semifinal match did not reach the final, according to Opta. The other team was also England in 2018 against Croatia.
England took the lead on Anthony Gordon's goal in the 55th minute. But Argentina quickly switched the momentum with furious pressure on England's defense.
To protect the lead, England drew closer and closer to its own goal, hoping to build the sort of impenetrable wall it had when it held on to beat Mexico in the round of 16 despite being down to 10 players.
Tuchel swapped defender Reece James for Dan Burn, and midfielder Declan Rice for defender Nico O’Reilly in the 82nd minute.
“We played a good game for the large majority of it. Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try and hold on, which at this level is not enough,” England striker Harry Kane said. “Just gutted, gutted. Because we’ve worked so hard to get here.”
Fernandez struck barely three minutes after the England substitutions, scoring on a precision right-footed strike from just outside the penalty area. Messi set up the play with a pass to his teammate's feet and England defenders failed to close him down before he ripped the shot that curled past diving goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Argentina kept coming and England's wall kept crumbling. The defending champions hit the crossbar and missed another header across the mouth of the goal before Martinez finally sealed it with a powerful close-range header when England defenders lost him on a cross from Messi.
“They got tired,” Martinez said. "They pressed for 60 minutes and then just ran out of steam. They got their goal and then sat back. That gave us more composure to move the ball around and stretch the pitch.”
Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas.
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
England head coach Thomas Tuchel reacts on the touchline during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
England's Anthony Gordon (18) is dejected at the end of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
England's Anthony Gordon (18) and England's Jude Bellingham (10) react after the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Argentina's Enzo Fernandez (24) reacts after their win the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
England's Harry Kane (9) reacts after the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
