Toronto Raptors forwards RJ Barrett (31 points) and Scottie Barnes led in a 110-105 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night. With another impressive performance, Barrett entered Raptors’ Vince Carter territory. He also had Barnes, who finished with 17 points and six assists, back in the lineup. Toronto won its second win in three tries. Barnes missed eleven games with an orbital fracture; having him back made all the difference.
After the win, Barrett discussed having Barnes back into the fold, per TSN Sports’ Michael Grange.
“Scottie Barnes. Man, that was fun… He’s a special player.”
Barnes’ presence alone relieves some of Barrett’s defensive pressure, which he undoubtedly appreciated after eleven games without it. It also alleviates pressure for RJ and the rest of his Raptor teammates as he explained.
“He made it easier for sure. I was just kind of out there chillin, waiting around, trying to find where I can make a play,” Barrett added. “But Scottie’s just, like I said, he’s a very special player, and when you have a guy like that out there, it makes everybody’s job easier.”
RJ Barrett makes Raptors franchise history, joining Vince Carter
Perhaps having Scottie Barnes back from injury made a difference for Raptors forward RJ Barrett, but he’s been on a tear lately and made franchise history. Barrett joined Vince Carter (2000-01), Chris Bosh (2008-09), DeMar DeRozan (2016-17), and Pascal Siakam (2019-20) in the franchise history books. He became just the fifth player in Raptors franchise history to tally five or more 30+ point performances through the first 13 games of the regular season, according to Sportsnet Stats’ X, formerly Twitter.
It was great for Barnes to be back on the floor and rejoin his teammates after missing the past three weeks.
“These guys play hard. They’ve been playing really hard, locking into the game plan. So, we’re just doing the right things every single day,” Barnes said. “Out there, we put in the hard effort. We work together collectively to try to get this dub. Our bench did great.”
Barnes finished with 17 points on 5-of-11 attempts, 2-of-5 from deep, six assists, three rebounds, and one steal. He and Barrett led four Raptors who scored in double figures, including Jacob Poeltl, who supplied a double-double performance (15 points, 12 rebounds). Chris Boucher, who led the second unit, scored 22 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one block.
Barrett, Barnes, and the rest of the Raptors’ next game is against the Cavaliers on Sunday.
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