Brandon Ingram, who has been the Toronto Raptors’ leading scorer this season, endured a difficult night against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, March 22. He finished with just 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist, shooting 3-of-10 from the field and 0-of-2 from beyond the arc. His -29 plus-minus reflected the team’s struggles while he was on the floor.
However, Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković refused to single out Ingram after one of his worst performances of the season. He instead pointed to a broader lack of urgency across the team following a 120-98 loss to the Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Why Darko Rajaković Refused to Blame Brandon Ingram for the Raptors’ Loss
The defeat dropped the Raptors to 39-31 on the season, their 31st loss, and marked a second straight setback after a three-game winning streak. Despite holding onto the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors now sit just a half-game ahead of both the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers, tightening an already competitive playoff race.
It was Ingram’s lowest scoring output of the 2025-26 season and his second single-digit scoring performance in March. Notably, it also snapped a five-game stretch of consistent 25.8 points per game offensive production, making it a clear outlier in what has otherwise been a strong campaign.
Still, Rajaković made it clear postgame that the performance was not on one player.
“It’s a whole team. It cannot be just one player. We win as a team, we lose as a team. We never want to point out a player,” Rajaković said in a clip shared by Omer Osman on X.
The Raptors coach went further, directly calling out the group’s overall approach.
“I thought that our whole team didn’t have enough urgency for the game, and enough respect for our opponent tonight.”
Darko on Brandon Ingram’s struggles/team’s effort tonight:
“It’s a whole team. It cannot be just one player. We win as a team, we lose as a team. We never want to point out a player.”
“I thought that our whole team did have enough urgency for the game, and enough respect for… pic.twitter.com/REc0cr83LE
— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) March 23, 2026
From the Raptors’ perspective, the game slipped away early and never recovered. The Suns controlled the tempo from the opening tip, never trailing and building an 18-point lead by halftime. The Raptors struggled to generate consistent offense and failed to match Phoenix’s intensity on either end of the floor, allowing the deficit to steadily grow.
The Suns, entering the game on a five-game losing streak, capitalized fully. Devin Booker led the way with 25 points, while Jalen Green added 20 as the Suns secured their 40th win of the season, already surpassing last year’s total with 10 games still remaining.
The win also evened the season series between the two teams at 1-1.
For the Raptors, the concern isn’t just one loss or one poor outing. Ingram remains a central figure in the Raptors’ offensive system, averaging 21.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 47.2% shooting and 37.6% from three this season. His ability to consistently produce will be critical if the Raptors hope to make a meaningful postseason push.