The Toronto Raptors have to be very concerned that they simply cannot buy a win against a top-10 opponent in the NBA. These woes of theirs against the best teams in the league continued on Wednesday, as they let a very winnable game against the San Antonio Spurs slip from their fingertips with a fourth quarter choke job, as they ran out of steam in the end in a 110-107 defeat at home.
The Raptors are now 4-15 against teams with a top-10 record, and this may be their most crushing defeat yet. Most of their losses against tough opposition weren't very close, as their opponent had their way against Toronto. But this was a game that they led by double digits heading into the fourth, but they allowed the Spurs to blitz them in the final frame even with Victor Wembanyama struggling with his shot all night long.
One possible reason as to why the Raptors sputtered towards the end was Scottie Barnes being less than 100 percent healthy. A multipositional wrecker who can feast in paint against smaller defenders, Barnes was reportedly playing “on one leg” and that he was “playing through pain” as mentioned by head coach Darko Rajakovic to TSN's Josh Lewenberg after the game.
This is a concern with 23 games left in the season amid the Raptors' battle for positioning in the East, as they will need a healthy Barnes to be a threat, as without him, they might be utterly hopeless against the best teams in the league.
Scottie Barnes is the Raptors' best player
Much was made about the Raptors' acquisition of Brandon Ingram and how he has given Toronto a legitimate weapon to rely upon during crunch time. While Ingram has been very good, people should not mistake him for being the Raptors' best player, as that distinction still belongs to Barnes.
Barnes can legitimately defend from one through five, and while his offensive game isn't very polished on the perimeter, his two-way play is incredible. He has a net rating of plus-6.1, according to PBP Stats, which is the best on the team.
