Ottawa Daily Digest — Feb 5, 2026

Big birthday night for Ingram: Brandon Ingram scored 33 points as the Toronto Raptors beat the Chicago Bulls 123-107 on Feb. 5, 2026, celebrating one year since he was acquired on Feb. 6, 2025. All five Toronto starters reached double figures (Immanuel Quickley 24, rookie Collin Murray-Boyles 17, Scottie Barnes 13, Ja’Kobe Walter 12) and benchman Sandro Mamukelashvili added 17; RJ Barrett rested a right-knee issue and Jakob Poeltl missed his 23rd straight game with a lower-back strain. The Bulls’ newcomer Anfernee Simons led Chicago with 22 points, and Toronto closes the homestand vs. Indiana on Super Bowl Sunday.

Smart deadline moves by Webster: GM Bobby Webster says the Raptors checked two boxes at the trade deadline — avoid the luxury tax and add centre depth — by completing a three-team deal (Clippers/Nets) that brings veteran guard Chris Paul to Toronto while sending Ochai Agbaji, a 2032 second-round pick and cash to Brooklyn, and by acquiring centre Trayce Jackson-Davis from Golden State for a 2026 second-round pick. Webster plans to waive Paul when timing’s right to get under the tax; coach Darko Rajakovic praised Jackson-Davis as a high-IQ, frontcourt option while Jakob Poeltl continues to ramp up from back issues.

Major shift in Canada’s EV plan: Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Feb. 5, 2026 a five-point auto strategy that includes a $2.3 billion Electric Vehicle Affordability Program offering up to $5,000 for battery/fuel-cell EVs and up to $2,500 for plug-in hybrids priced up to $50,000 (the $50K cap won’t apply to Canadian-made EVs), repeals the previous EV sales mandate and replaces it with stricter emissions standards. The plan adds more than $1 billion for charging infrastructure, big tax incentives (a productivity super deduction cutting the effective tax rate to about 13%), aims for roughly 90% EV adoption by 2040, and drew mixed reactions from industry and politicians including Pierre Poilievre and Bloc MP Patrick Bonin.

Late-game slip costs the Raptors: Toronto led for much of the game but lost 128-126 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, after second-half turnovers and a big outing from Anthony Edwards; Brandon Ingram scored 25 and Scottie Barnes had a 22-point, 10-rebound, 7-assist double-double (his 102nd, tying Pascal Siakam for fifth in Raptors history). The loss dropped Toronto to 30-22, highlighted persistent late-game issues (four straight games with 22 or fewer fourth-quarter points and a 1-12 record vs. top-10 teams) and came within 24 hours of the trade deadline amid reports the club shuffled pieces to clear luxury-tax space.