TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors’ injury problems never seem to end.
All-Star forward Scotty Barnes sprained his right ankle in the third quarter of Toronto’s 113-108 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday and left the game 23 minutes into the game. It’s the latest in a long line of injuries for the Raptors, who have yet to play a game with their optimal starting lineup this season.
But coach Darko Rajkovic did not question his team’s luck.
“I’ve never been asked that question myself,” Rajakovic said after the game. “When injuries happen, those kinds of injuries are out of my control.
“I don’t have any questions about that. We’ll go through it. We’re going for a walk.”
Barnes, Toronto’s only All-Star last season, was forced off the court with 6:47 left in the third with the Raptors leading 73-68. He blocked a shot by Karl-Anthony Towns and landed on the Knicks forward’s feet, clutching his ankle and writhing in pain under the basket.
Barnes had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists before going down. He and RJ Barrett, from Mississauga, Ont., combined for 15 points in just their third game together before Barnes was injured.
“It was a huge blow. We played really well, especially when Scotty was on the floor,” said Barrett, who led all scorers with 30 points. “I think it was a close game in the end.
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“We had a chance there. It was a tough game. Those are the people you want to beat. But I think we played pretty good overall.”
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Rajakovic said an X-ray on Barnes’ ankle came back negative and he would be re-evaluated on Tuesday.
“It’s always tough to see one of your teammates get injured, especially one of (Barnes’) impact players,” said rookie Ja’Kobe Walter, who scored a career-high 19 points off the bench. “But I think it’s just the next person.
“We all understood that we have to fight because we still have games to play, but of course you always want to play.”
Towns made a short layup with 36 seconds left in the game and hit a 29-foot 3-pointer with 6 seconds left to give New York the win.
Towns had a double-double, scoring 24 points and pulling down 15 rebounds for New York (15-9) in a close game that saw 13 ties and 19 lead changes.
Jakob Poeltl recorded a double-double with 14 rebounds and 10 points as Toronto (7-18) finished its five-game homestand with a 2-3 record.
Barnes, Barrett and point guard Emmanuel Quickley are expected to be the core of Toronto’s starting lineup, but they have not been on the court together for 47 straight games dating back to the 2023-24 season when Barnes underwent season-ending surgery. Fracture of the third metacarpal of the left hand.
Quickley has appeared in only three games this season.
He missed nine runs with a pelvic contusion after a hard fall in the Raptors’ home opener and suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow after playing two games. Rajakovic said before the game that he expected more imaging of Quickley’s elbow to be done this week.
Backup center Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, B.C., returned to the Toronto lineup on Saturday after missing the first 21 games of the season.
Walter, the Raptors’ 19th overall pick in last summer’s draft, didn’t make his NBA debut until Nov. 1 because he sprained his shoulder before the start of the preseason. He missed nine more games when his condition worsened again.
Barrett sprained his shoulder in a similar manner in Toronto’s first preseason exhibition game, missed the first three games of the season, and returned only on October 28.
“Obviously at first a lot of people went out, including me,” Walter said. “We all trust each other enough to participate in the game and feel free.
“I feel like even if people get hurt, we’re still working.”
This isn’t Barnes’ first injury of the season either. He missed 11 games from October 30 to November 18 with a fractured orbital bone after taking an elbow to the face.
next
Knicks: Host the Atlanta Hawks (13-12) on Wednesday.
Raptors: Travel to Miami and take on the Heat (12-10) on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
