Brandon Ingram sends message ahead of Raptors vs. Knicks

With NBA Cup quarter-final match between Toronto Raptors (15-10) and the New York Knicks (16-7) are closing in, the Raptors ahead Brandon Ingram he delivered an emphatic message to his team: a message based on urgency, responsibility and memory.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s elimination game, Ingram stressed that Toronto can’t afford to to carry recent frustrations into a post-season tournament-style environment.

“What I would say personally is throw everything out the window,” Ingram said. “We’re going through a little stretch where things didn’t go our way… just remember what happened to us in New York, remember that feeling and be ready to play. Let’s clear our minds and play freely.”

Toronto enters the matchup 5-5 in their last 10 games, shooting 46.6% from the field while averaging 111.1 points per contest.

Brandon Ingram on the advice he would give the team ahead of Tuesday’s NBA Finals game against New York:

“Just remember what happened to us in New York. Remember that feeling and just get ready to play.”

“The biggest thing is to just clear our minds.”

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The Raptors have struggled with consistency, but continue to dominate in the paint, ranking fourth in the Eastern Conference with 53.8 points per game.

Much of this was encouraged by Scotty Barnes, who is averaging 18 points in the final stretch and a total of 10.5 rebounds per game.

The Raptors will need that inside presence, especially after the Knicks dominated the previous meeting on Nov. 30, winning 116-94 behind Karl-Anthony Towns’ 22 points. That loss is exactly what Ingram wants his team to remember.

Meanwhile, the Knicks come in red-hot, winning 8 of their last 10averaging 119.8 points and 15.4 3-pointers per game.

Led by Jalen Branson’s 28 points and 6.4 assists per night, New York has emerged as a contender and owns one of the best home records in the league.

however, Ingram believes Toronto was built for moments like this. “Just understand what our goal is from this,” he added. “Play hard … but the biggest thing is to clear our minds.”

With elimination pressure, rivalry history and tournament stakes, Tuesday’s matchup has the energy of May in early December, and Toronto’s leader just made sure no one stepped onto the floor unfocused.