Barnes, Raptors look to bounce back against Suns on TSN
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Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors continue their four-game road trip with a matchup tonight against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
The Raptors are coming off of a 105-102 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday that snapped a three-game win streak and moved the team to 24-44 on the year.
Toronto had the chance to tie the game with just over three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but Orlando Robinson had his three-point attempt blocked by Matisse Thybulle to seal the win for Portland.
The Raptors were led in scoring by Ochai Agbaji and Jakob Poeltl with 19 points apiece in the losing effort.
Agbaji had been out since Feb. 28 with a left ankle sprain, but made his return to lineup following a seven-game absence.
“It felt good to be out there, to be competing,” said Agbaji after the loss. “Sitting out, watching for so long, you kind of get out of a groove or out of the rhythm of things. But getting in there, and I feel like I didn’t miss a beat. [I] kind of just played how every had been playing these last few games.''
Barnes, now in his fourth NBA season, pitched in with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a career-high six steals.
“He was everywhere,” said head coach Darko Rajakovic on Barnes’ performance. “His hands and deflections, he did a great job covering on the weak side with rotations. He did a really good job.
“He started the game really hot, scored a bunch of points in the first quarter. He had six assists, six rebounds…played a really good game today.”
It was just the second loss this month for the Raptors, who hold the third-best record in Eastern Conference since March 1 at 6-2.
Toronto will look to rebound quickly on the second half of a back-to-back for a matchup with the struggling Suns.
In the teams’ previous matchup this season, the Raptors emerged victorious with a 127-109 win on Feb. 23.
Phoenix (31-37) comes into the meeting having dropped three of their past four contests after dropping a 107-96 decision to the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
They were led in scoring by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker with 21 and 19 points, respectively, as the team continues to struggle in the second half of the season.
Bradley Beal left the contest with left hamstring soreness and is currently listed as day-to-day. His status is unclear for Monday’s game.
Phoenix holds a record of 6-15 since Feb. 1, and have now fallen to 1.5 games back of the Dallas Mavericks for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
The Suns will look to right the ship against a Raptors team that has been playing without multiple key rotation pieces over the past few weeks.
Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Ja’Kobe Walter are listed as game-time decisions after sitting out Sunday, while Gradey Dick, Brandon Ingram, and Ulrich Chomche all remain out.
Toronto sits just 4.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the Eastern Conference’s final play-in spot with 14 games remaining in the 2024-25 regular season.