Raptors have hit a fork in the road following two home losses in a row

Sunday marks a dubious anniversary for Brandon Ingram, a time that set in motion the beginning of the end of his tenure in the Big Easy.

It also paved the way for Ingram’s path to Toronto.

We take you back to the third quarter of a game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Having just returned from a right foot injury, Ingram landed awkwardly on Lu Dort’s foot 17 seconds into the period.

Ingram twisted his left ankle.

He would never play a single game for the balance of the season, let alone play a minute for the Raptors once the trade to land the scorer was engineered.

There’s no doubt Ingram has been a presence on a Raptors roster that has its warts.

He’s been better than good on most nights, on occasion elite when his shot making and shot creation get unleashed.

The B.I. and Scottie Barnes tandem has shown flashes, but the on-court relationship remains a work in progress, given the small sample size.

As long as RJ Barrett (knee) continues to be sidelined and as long as Jakob Poeltl (back) remains unavailable on back-to-back sets, no definite judgment on Toronto’s starting unit can be made, despite the moments when the group has played well.

Areas of concern

Back-to-back losses to the L.A. Lakers and Charlotte Hornets have revealed some areas of concern.

Toronto’s five-game homestand concludes with a Sunday date against a surprisingly good Boston Celtics team that is coming off a pasting of the Lakers and a much-anticipated tip against the New York Knicks next Tuesday night in the NBA Cup quarterfinal.

An early four-game losing streak was quickly forgotten when the Raptors went on a nine-game win streak.

Recently, the team has lost four of five games, including twice to the Hornets, the first in Charlotte when the Bugs didn’t lead until overtime.

Friday night, once Charlotte took control in the second quarter, the outcome was never in doubt.

Ingram has not looked himself of late.

Perhaps it’s a function of his extended absence, perhaps it has more to do with opponents locking in and taking away his space, perhaps it has to do with Barrett’s absence and how his ability to cut to the basket worked well when the ball was taken out of Ingram’s hands.

Regardless, Ingram hasn’t been the same and neither have the Raptors.

It’s quite possible a second four-game losing streak will play out if a more heightened sense of urgency isn’t brought to the floor.

Keep in mind that the Celtics are playing well, having gone 11-4 following a 3-5 start.

No free-throw attempts

Also, keep in mind the Knicks have had Toronto’s number.

Another number to keep in mind is zero, as in the number of free throw attempts Ingram has attempted in the losses to the Lakers and Hornets.

Against Charlotte, Ingram had more turnovers (4) and more fouls (5) than makes (3) from the field.

Confidence is waning with this Raptors group, which lost Jamison Battle to an ankle sprain Friday night.

The team’s mental toughness is beginning to be questioned.

In the ebbs and flows of an NBA season, these dips in performance become inevitable.

The true measuring stick is how teams respond to adversity.

As of today, the Raptors find themselves in that look-in-the-mirror self-evaluation process because there’s no trade to shake things up on the horizon.

The trade that changed the calculus involved Ingram.

Shouldered too much

He’s shouldered a lot, but it’s time for Barnes to return to his role as the go-to option on offence.

As good as Ingram is when the ball is in his hands, he is not physically imposing like Barnes, who is a beast when he’s attacking the basket or operating from the mid-post.

Barnes had four turnovers Friday and hauled down three rebounds to tie a season low, while attempting zero free throws.

Things didn’t seem as good when the Raptors were winning nine in a row, mainly against bad opponents, and things aren’t that bad during this recent slide.

The next two games should tell a lot about the physical and mental makeup of the Raptors.

Clearly, the Celtics are playing well.

“We got guys who are finding their stride, feeling confident and you can see it,” Jaylen Brown told reporters following Boston’s 126-105 rout of the Lakers, who did not have LeBron James (sciatica and foot) available, one night after James made the pass that led to L.A.’s corner buzzer beater in playing a season-high 36 minutes.

Boston has been led by Brown, whose game has risen to an MVP level in the absence of running mate Jayson Tatum.

During Boston’s 15-game run, Brown has averaged 30.4 points.

Defensively, he remains among the best wing defenders.

A Brown-Ingram is likely Sunday.

Chances are, not many fans were aware of Jordan Walsh.

For those who have tracked Walsh, the Celtics are 9-2 since he was moved into the starting lineup, a two-way player whose defence has been highlighted.

“I think the expectation level has always been the same in my brain,” Brown said. “Just come out, compete and maximize our potential and kind of go from there.

“Don’t focus on the end result, focus on what you control and what’s in front of you. And that’s winning each possession, being the harder playing team, all that good stuff.

“It sounds boring, but that’s the type of stuff that leads to building a really good team.”

The Raptors would be advised to follow Brown’s lead.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com