The Toronto Raptors need to decrease turnovers and get more scoring from Brandon Ingram on Thursday night in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchup against the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 after their wire-to-wire 115-105 home victory Monday.

The Cavaliers have defeated the Raptors in 12 consecutive playoff games to equal the NBA postseason record for a winning streak against one opponent.

The Raptors, who are home for Games 3 and 4, committed 22 turnovers Monday for a total of 40 leading to 44 points over the first two games.

“I think it really came down to turnovers,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said after Game 2. “They really cost us.”

Ingram, who often was Toronto’s top scorer in the regular season, had 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting in the first game, a 126-113 setback on Saturday, and seven points (3-for-15) on Monday.

“I’m confident I won’t miss all my shots and find a rhythm,” Ingram said at practice on Wednesday. “It’s tough when you feel like you’re not doing your job. But I like to sit in disappointment for a little bit, see where I went wrong, and then get back into the fight.”

“We need him to continue being aggressive in shooting,” Rajakovic said. “I’ve got absolute support for him. He’s going to make his shots.”

Cleveland forward Dean Wade scored eight total points over the two games, but he started both and is a key to the defense.

“We had it in the back of our minds to start Dean anyway because that five-man lineup has been so great for us all year,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson told cleveland.com after Game 2. “But the more we watched film as a staff, we just kept saying, (Ingram) is the head of the snake, so we need to put our best perimeter defender on him.’ That’s Dean.”

Wade, in his seventh season, all with the Cavaliers, said he enjoys the defensive role

“Sometimes, it’s a thankless job and I had to learn to love it,” he said. “But, man, I love it. I really do.”

Toronto center Jakob Poeltl also has struggled. He had two points and four rebounds in only 9:26 on Monday.

“He needs to be part of the solution for us,” Rajakovic said Wednesday. “He needs to be more aggressive. He needs to dominate the glass. … He’s going to be a big part of Game 3, and I believe he’s going to perform really well.”

The Raptors were without Immanuel Quickley (strained right hamstring) for the first two games, but the injury is improving.

“We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow,” Rajakovic said.

With Ingram struggling, Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 26 points on Monday and RJ Barrett added 22 points.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points for Cleveland in Game 2, James Harden added 28 points and Evan Mobley scored 25 points.

The February trade for Harden, an 11-time All-Star guard and the league MVP in 2018, has helped Mitchell.

“I mean, I can go stand on the wing,” Mitchell said. “And like I always say, you have a guy that can create his own offense for himself and for others. … it just makes it tough (to defend).

“And there’s also possessions where you can just go stand in the corner and allow him to be him. It’s definitely better on the body, I’ll tell you that. That’s one thing.”

Atkinson agreed.

“That’s part of it, right?” the coach said. “Keeping (Mitchell’s) usage at a reasonable level. Donovan can get worn down. So again, these are reasons why you bring James Harden on board.”

–Field Level Media

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford has a Grade 1 flexor strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Langford, 24, exited Tuesday’s 5-1 home victory over Pittsburgh after the fourth inning due to a right forearm strain. He went 0-for-1 with a walk, extending his on-base streak to a season-high 11 games since April 6.

In a corresponding move, the Rangers recalled outfielder Alejandro Osuna from Triple-A Round Rock.

Langford is batting .238 with one home run, four RBIs and two triples in 20 games this season.

He said after Tuesday’s game that he felt discomfort after the first swing of his second plate appearance. Langford also exited the April 10 contest at the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning because of a right quad strain — causing him to miss three games.

“It’s pretty aggravating just having to deal with stuff like this,” Langford said after Tuesday’s game.

Texas selected Langford in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Florida.

He is batting a career .246 with 39 home runs, 140 RBIs, 53 doubles, seven triples, 44 stolen bases, a .330 OBP and .419 SLG in 288 games since 2024.

Osuna, 23, batted .212 (32-for-151) with two homers and 15 RBIs in 63 games as a rookie in 2025.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Kings are hanging tough with the Presidents’ Trophy-wielding Colorado Avalanche, yet they trail 2-0 in their Western Conference first-round playoff series as it shifts to the West Coast.

As the Kings prepare to host the Avalanche for Game 3 Thursday, they need to find a way to get over the hump against the regular-season champions to draw back into the best-of-seven series.

Both games were 2-1 finals, with the latest requiring Colorado to work overtime to win Tuesday.

“It’s tough, the way it ended, both games,” Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg said. “We’re right in there, playing well. We’re fighting, we’re fighting hard. Just got to stick with it and turn this around.”

The second loss stung on another level. Artemi Panarin’s power-play goal — his second in as many outings — opened the scoring with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation, but Colorado captain Gabe Landeskog tied the game with 3:35 left to set up Nicolas Roy’s winner 7:44 into extra time.

Los Angeles boasts a stout defensive game, but needs more offense from players not named Panarin. The Kings certainly had their chances in Game 2. Not only was Quinton Byfield denied on a second-period penalty shot, the Kings had opportunities in sudden-death.

“We had the momentum in overtime,” interim coach D.J. Smith said. “We were out-chancing them at that point and then maybe a bad bounce or a turnover, whatever, it ends up in your net. To a man, this team’s playing hard and we have to find a way to win, though.”

As for the Avalanche, they know having the upper hand at this point only means so much, especially if the Kings regroup and find a way to win their first two home games.

The Kings have been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in four consecutive years, so they’re giving everything they have to end that trend.

“Playoffs are going to be hard. It’s a really good team over there,” Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon said. “They’re playing hard. We’re playing hard. It’s low scoring, but it’s fun hockey. … Need to find a way to steal Game 3.”

Saying his team must “steal” a game sounds over the top considering how the Avalanche have been all season. They led the NHL during the regular season with 3.68 goals per game, so clearly they have yet to show their top offensive form — though the Kings (and Forsberg) deserve credit. Then again, Colorado was the league’s stingiest defensive team in the regular season, too, and coach Jared Bednar’s team has been showing why.

“We’ve been talking all year (about) the importance of the defending, and I’m happy with the commitment that we’re getting from our guys,” Bednar said. “I still think we got another step in our game that we can ramp up to. So we just got to go out and try to better our performances at home now on the road.”

Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood has shown his top-tier game. His save of Byfield’s penalty shot was highlight-reel worthy and he has stopped 48 of the 50 shots he has faced in this series.

Not bad for a 33-year-old who had zero Stanley Cup playoff victories — and zero postseason starts — on his resume until this series began.

“I think mentally, over my career, I’ve kind of been building my own scar tissue just trying to stay alive and stay in this league,” Wedgewood said. “So mentally, I feel like the playoffs are almost kind of what I’ve been putting the pressure on myself for to get here. It’s honestly felt like really fun hockey. Obviously, you know what’s at stake.”

–Field Level Media