[The Athletic] Dean Wade is making life miserable for Brandon Ingram in Cavs-Raptors series. (Ingram scored just 2 of his 17 points in game 1 with Wade in extended minutes as his primary defender, limited to 3-15 shooting in game 2)
If it weren’t for bad luck, Cleveland Cavaliers defensive stopper Dean Wade wouldn’t have any at all.
Which, after he stepped on a ball boy’s foot about 90 minutes before a game against the Miami Heat last month, spraining his right ankle again, he probably would have preferred.
Now, Wade wears matching black ankle braces on each foot, with both laces and an extra layer of Velcro for additional security. He calls them 60-year-old, church-league ankle braces, and he hates them, but if they keep him out of harm’s way, he’ll tie them extra tight and pull the Velcro until it can’t stretch anymore, to lock those ankles down.
He’s doing the same thing to Toronto’s Brandon Ingram in this series.
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From a separate Cleveland.com article: https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2026/04/dean-wade-has-learned-to-love-defense-and-cavs-lead-raptors-2-0-in-first-round-playoff-series-because-of-it.html
According to NBA.com matchup data, Ingram scored just two of his 17 points while being defended by Wade in game one.
Immediately after the loss, Ingram offered a harsh assessment of the Raptors’ strategy.
“At the end of the day, me shooting nine shots is not going to win basketball games,” Ingram said.
Or shooting 15 of them, apparently.
Hounded and pressured by Wade and others, forced to play in a supersized crowd, the slender Ingram missed his first six attempts before finally getting one to drop at the 9:50 mark of the third quarter.
In all, Ingram, who averaged 21.5 points in the regular season, finished with seven points — his second lowest output all season — on 3 of 15 shooting and 1 of 3 from 3-point range to go with three assists against five turnovers. With him on the floor, the Raptors were minus-15.
“Unbelievable,” Harden said of Wade’s defensive effort.
“He’s been doing incredible,” Mobley added. “It’s tough on Brandon Ingram every second of the game. He’s handsy, he’s got size, length and he’s able to move with the best of them all. He’s definitely underrated, his defensive skills. It’s tough to score on Dean Wade.”