Scotty Barnes plays ‘on one leg’, almost upsets Wemby, Spurs
The The Toronto Raptors must be very worried that they just can’t buy a win against top 10 opponents in the NBA. Their woes against the league’s top teams continued on Wednesday as they let a very winnable game slip away from them against the San Antonio Spurs in the fourth quarter, eventually running out of steam in a 110-107 home loss.
The The Raptors are now 4-15 against teams with top-10 records, and this could be their heaviest loss yet. Most of their losses against tough opposition weren’t very close, as their opponent had their way against Toronto. But this was a game where they led by double digits in the fourth but allowed the Spurs to pound them in the final frame even as Victor Wembanyama struggled to shoot all night.
One possible reason why the Raptors sputtered toward the end was Scottie Barnes be less than 100 percent healthy. A multi-position destroyer who can enjoy playing against smaller defenders, Barnes reportedly played “on one leg” and “played through the pain” as mentions the head coach Darko Rajakovic to TSN’s Josh Levenberg after the game.
This is concerning with 23 games left in the season in the midst of the Raptors’ battle for positioning in the East, as they will need a healthy Barnes to be a threat, as without him they could be completely hopeless against the best teams in the league.
Scotty Barnes is the Raptors’ best player
Much has been made of the Raptors’ acquisition of Brandon Ingram and how he gave Toronto a legitimate weapon to lean on during a crunch. While Ingram was very good, people shouldn’t confuse him with the Raptors’ best player, as that distinction still belongs to Barnes.
Barnes can legitimately defend one through five, and while his offensive game isn’t exactly polished on the perimeter, his two-way game is incredible. He has a plus-6.1 net rating, according to PBP Stats, which is the best on the team.
2026-02-26 04:03:00
