On Tuesday night, the Toronto Raptors were doing very well against a Milwaukee Bucks team coming off an emotional game on the first of a back-to-back set. They were leading by double digits, with a balanced effort getting it done for the Raptors. But there was a bit of a nervous moment for them, with Scottie Barnes having to exit the game for a brief second after feeling an issue with his left thumb.
But Raptors fans can breathe a bit easier now that Barnes is back on the hardwood. As reported by ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, Barnes underwent X-rays to check if he suffered a fracture on his thumb, and they came back negative. The knock Barnes dealt with is now being called a thumb strain, and he simply has his thumb wrapped to try and prevent further damage.
Barnes is instrumental in the Bucks matchup as he's the rare player with the size and strength to at least give Giannis Antetokounmpo fits. His impact did show in the box score; he was a team-best +19 in the first half, with his two-way play being instrumental in giving the Raptors a 73-48 lead at the halftime intermission.
The only concern for the Raptors is that he's already had trouble on the same hand in the past. He broke his middle finger towards the end of the 2023-24 season, leading to a premature end to his campaign, and now, he's dealing with some thumb problems. That left hand of his must be so battered and bruised that the Toronto medical staff has to keep a close eye on every hit he takes on it.
At the time of writing, the Raptors still own a huge lead over the Bucks in the third quarter, 102-80 with less than a minute remaining in the period.
Can Raptors make this assortment of talent work?
The Raptors have a bloated player payroll, so this means that they have to win plenty of games and even make it to the playoffs. They have to find a way to make this assortment of talent work, however, especially when there are some iffy fits between some of their key players.
But the good news is that there may be too much talent for this team to not at least put up a winning record on the year. Barnes is a two-way force, Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett are incredible offensive talents, and they have Jakob Poeltl back to anchor the defense.
