Takeaways for Toronto as Scottie Barnes Has Career Night in Victory over Pacers

Scottie Barnes dropped a career-high 35 points in the Toronto Raptors upset victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night

Dec 3, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) tries to dribble around Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) during the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Toronto Raptors 122, Indiana Pacers 111

The Raptors Aren’t Bad

It turns out the Raptors aren’t actually all that bad.

Maybe that’s a good thing. It’s certainly good for the organization to see so many players stepping up and exceeding expectations early this season. If Toronto’s four contributing rookies can all grow into reliable role players for the Raptors, that would be an amazing thing. If the other role players continue playing the way they have early this year, that would bode well for the future.

But the notion that Toronto is going to be one of the league’s very worst teams and land somewhere near the top of the NBA’s draft lottery this Spring is looking increasingly less realistic.

The Raptors are proving to be at the very least competitive even as they continue to battle injuries to four rotation players early this year. On Tuesday, they showed they’re figuring out how to close out games too.

After watching their 24-point third quarter nearly vanish, Toronto did just enough late in the fourth to sneak by Indiana thanks to a career night from Scottie Barnes and a 29-point showing from RJ Barrett.  

"I think they're really complimenting each other, like both of them capable to play on the ball, both of them more than capable of playing off the ball," Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said of his two thriving forwards. "I'm always going to be the first one to praise them when they could do good stuff, I still expect more from them."

Tuesday’s win over a Pacers team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals last year moved Toronto to 6-4 at home this season and 5-6 in games with Barnes healthy. It pushed the Raptors behind the Charlotte Hornets in the reverse standings and has Toronto closer to a playoff spot in the East than the worst record in the NBA.

Barnes Too Good to Tank

The problem with tanking, if you will, is Barnes is simply too good.

His return for the Raptors has totally reshaped how this team looks and has Toronto playing at a different level. The Raptors play faster, more stout defensively, and are more organized offensively when Barnes is on the court. He’s constantly getting Toronto early opportunities thanks to his rare combination of speed and size.

“More size opens up vision, the ability to shoot over people, ability to finish in crowds,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of the 6-foot-8 Barnes who has been handling point guard duties for Toronto with Immanuel Quickley sidelined. “He’s been shooting the three well for the last couple years. And so you gotta deal with the three, and then the drives, and then everything else.”

Barnes’ three-point shooting had been in a bit of a funk so far this year, but the 23-year-old hit an early pull-up jumper in the first quarter to set the tone for the night. He converted three three-pointers, finishing the night with a career-high 35 points to go with nine assists and five rebounds.

"For me, much more important than that is the tone that he's setting for the team, the poise that he's playing with, how he's picking up his teammates, the way he's talking, the way he's learning to manipulate the game," Rajaković said of Barnes. "He's becoming much, much better in the half-court setting to attack, to touch the paint, to score. I thought that he was outstanding tonight."

In the second quarter, Barnes drove at Siakam, bumped Siakam with his shoulder, and then rose up to nail a 13-footer over the former All-NBA forward. He later burst up the court going end to end in the span of six seconds to convert a layup.

Indiana mounted a comeback late in the third after a pair of threes from Tyrese Haliburton, but Barnes went right back at it, beating Siakam off the dribble and finishing through contact to put Toronto back up 15. After the play, Barnes smiled at Siakam while flexing his bicep in Siakam’s face.

It was a near flawless performance from Barnes who powered his way inside late in the fourth for a driving floater over Siakam to stick the Raptors to an eight-point lead with three minutes to go. Barnes' relentless effort forced Siakam into tough positions all night, eventually leading to Siakam taking a technical foul and fouling out in the final minute Tuesday.

"We're talking a lot about him playing lower, being more explosive when he decides to go, and just having one or two or three things in his mind when he's attacking," Rajaković said. "He's such an amazing instinctual player that he's gonna find opportunities. And I thought that he did a really good job today attacking with that force and then just reading what the defense is giving you."

As long as Barnes is on the court, Toronto should be at the very least adequate. It’s hard to envision that 2-9 stretch happening again if Barnes is healthy and if the Raptors are content to vie for a play-in spot this year, maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Up Next: Oklahoma City Thunder

Things might not be quite as pretty on Thursday when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder come to town for a 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff at Scotiabank Arena.