After Toronto had to navigate the rest of Game 5 without Brandon Ingram, who exited the game after 11 minutes of action with right heel inflammation, that left an open call for the rest of the Raptors' pecking order to step up.
Needless to say, the Raptors found just that in several players, whether it was an energized Jakob Poeltl, a return to form for Ja'Kobe Walter, a much-needed boost from Sandro Mamukelashvili, and a very aggressive effort from Jamal Shead.
Shead took a prominent role in Game 5, playing just over 33 minutes, which was the fourth-highest on the team. After stepping up beyond expectations in Game 1 of this series, Shead had a quieter offensive stretch from Games 2 to 4.
But in Game 5, he showed that drive again, looking to boost the Raptors' offense as he attempted a total of 15 field goals. He finished with 18 points, the third-highest on the team behind RJ Barrett and Ja'Kobe Walter. He shot 4-for-10 from beyond the arc and also recorded seven assists, one rebound, and two steals.
Jamal Shead delivers a polarizing Game 5 showcase vs. Cavs
Now, if we're just going off the first half, it was honestly shaping up to be a Jamal Shead masterpiece. At halftime, Shead had 10 points, was 4-for-5 from the field, 2-for-3 from three, and had five assists and two steals.
But the second half tells a completely different story of Jamal Shead's Game 5 showcase. He was limited to just 3-for-10 from the field, 2-for-7 from three, and he racked up three turnovers in that time. Behind RJ Barrett, Shead was Toronto’s second-highest shot taker in the second half, but it didn’t exactly turn the tide in the Raptors’ favor.
In the fourth quarter especially, Shead's three-point shooting volume increased, but he was only able to go 1-for-4 from the floor during that span. All things considered, the fourth quarter turned into a stagnant, unmatchable effort for Toronto against the blitzing Cavs, thanks in large part to ex-Raptor Dennis Schroder.
Late in the game, with just under three minutes remaining and Toronto trailing by eight points, Shead had two consecutive possessions where he tried to sink a three. Unfortunately, both attempts were unsuccessful and he tried another one at the 1:28 mark, to no avail. At a time when the Raptors were getting key stops in crunch time, relying on Jamal Shead’s jump shot during those critical moments just seemed like a tall task, despite being good, open looks.
The Raptors ultimately lost Game 5 to a final score of 125-120, setting the stage for Game 6 in Toronto, which has now become a do-or-die showdown.
You do have to give Shead credit for his commendable performance up to that crucial point. However, heading into Game 6 and hopefully a forced Game 7, it would benefit Toronto if Shead could dial down his volume a bit and let the key closers take over the offense in clutch situations.
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