Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) rescued Toronto from a horrendous shooting night and an injury to Raptors leading scorer Brandon Ingram. Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images

Brandon Ingram has carried the Toronto Raptors offensively in his first season with the team. More surprisingly, the injury-prone forward has played every game this season.

The first time Ingram had to leave early, Toronto managed to pick him up.

After a horrendous shooting night, the Raptors caught a rhythm in the fourth quarter, with Immanuel Quickley hitting a buzzer-beating 3 to give them a 97-96 win over the Hornets in Charlotte.

On the game-winner, Quickley came around a screen on an out-of-bounds play and hit the shot over a contest from Sion James.

IMMANUEL QUICKLEY LADIES AND GENTLEMEN‼️🎯 pic.twitter.com/Od4TxWiK0j

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 8, 2026

The Raptors went 3-for-27 from deep in the first three quarters, but hit four of their seven 3s in the fourth.

Ingram, who entered the game third in total minutes in the NBA, left in the first quarter after catching his thumb on Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel. He did not return. Ingram was averaging a team-best 22.2 points per game ahead of Wednesday’s contest. The Raptors announced he had a sprained right thumb and that X-rays were negative.

The Raptors also played nearly eight minutes in the fourth quarter without Scottie Barnes. Barnes got his knee checked by the team’s medical staff and returned to play the final 108 seconds.

LaMelo Ball put the Hornets ahead with a layup with 1.6 seconds to go but Quickley made sure his moment was washed away. He finished with 21 points, while RJ Barrett,  who carried the Raptors for much of the fourth, led Toronto with a game-high 28 points.

Eric Koreen is a senior writer covering the Raptors and the NBA. Previously, he has written for the National Post, Canadian Press, Sportsnet and Complex.