On Monday night, the Toronto Raptors, a team with a below .500 record, were in control of their contest against the Denver Nuggets for much of the game. In fact, they led the contest for over 44 minutes of game time – no small feat against the best team in the Western Conference. However, as Fred VanVleet put it, the game went down the gutter in the final minute for the Raptors after official Scott Foster decided to eject Scottie Barnes from the game for protesting a foul call.

While Barnes' ejection is enough to spark some outrage from Raptors fans, Foster's rationale for throwing him out of the game would only serve to confuse, not clarify. In the Pool Report, Foster said that Barnes made some comments that questioned the integrity of the officials.

“He was ejected on one technical foul because he used verbiage that which directly questioned the integrity of the crew,” Foster said, via NBA.com.

Article Continues Below
More Toronto Raptors News
Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel (7) shoots the ball against Alabama Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi (11) during the second half in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center.
Ranking 5 best Kon Knueppel destinations in 2025 NBA DraftJulian Ojeda ·
Toronto Maple Leafs President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan watched the game Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at Scotiabank Arena
Why Brendan Shanahan’s exit from Maple Leafs could be good news for RaptorsAlex House ·
Ranking 5 best Darius Garland trade destinations if Cavs blow it up
Ranking 5 best Darius Garland trade destinations if Cavs blow it upJulian Ojeda ·
Collin Murray-Boyles, Noa Essengue, Khaman Maluach in the middle, Head coach Darko Rajakovic, and GM Bobby Webster around them, Toronto Raptors wallpaper in the background
Toronto Raptors’ 3 best options for No. 9 pick in 2025 NBA DraftEnzo Flojo ·
Toronto Raptors Vice-Chairman and Team President Masai Ujiri speaks to the media during media day at Scotiabank Area.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri’s ‘crazy’ realization after Mavericks land No. 1 pickJaren Kawada ·
Kevin Durant and RJ Barrett both in Mavericks jerseys
2 early Dallas Mavericks trade targets in 2025 NBA offseasonSpencer See ·

It's inexplicable enough that Scottie Barnes drew a technical foul after the Raptors sophomore said after the game that he was merely talking to himself; it's even more confounding that an official would toss a player for just one technical foul, which essentially sealed the deal for the Nuggets after they made it a two-possession ballgame following the referees' gift.

Even Andre Iguodala expressed his befuddlement over Scott Foster's decision, especially given the timing and impact of the call in the playoff race.

As a result, the Raptors fall to 32-34; instead of surpassing the Atlanta Hawks as the 8-seed, which would give them a more favorable play-in tournament predicament.