Injured Raptors’ Scottie Barnes not making trip to Charlotte

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The Toronto Raptors simply cannot catch a break.

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On the same day the team got leading scorer RJ Barrett into the lineup for the first time, top player Scottie Barnes was lost late in the fourth quarter after taking a Nikola Jokic elbow to the eye.

Without Barnes, who was an assist away from a triple-double and had been magnificent, the game went to overtime and the Denver Nuggets won by a point.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Raptors announced Barnes would not make the trip to Charlotte for Wednesday’s game against the Hornets and continues to be evaluated. His status will be updated sometime on Wednesday.

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The team has two marquee home dates later in the week, with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers here Friday and DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings visiting Saturday on a night Vince Carter’s jersey will be retired at halftime.

The injury happened as Jakob Poeltl and Jokic fought for a rebound. Barnes swooped in to try to grab the ball and Jokic’s left hand went behind him and caught Barnes in the eye.

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Barnes went down and stayed on the floor as the play went the other way, with Denver scoring. He eventually had to be helped to the bench and appeared to be in tremendous pain as he crouched doubled over by a chair before being taken to the locker room.

Jokic said post-game he didn’t know what happened, other than that he was going for the ball and that he hoped Barnes, who he called a “great player,” would be OK.

So too do the Raptors. So far Barnes has led the team in assists and steals, and is second in scoring and rebounding.

Toronto only has had Immanuel Quickley for one game this season and the point guard is listed as doubtful for Charlotte. Quickley fell hard in the season opener and has been unable to play since. Veterans Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown remain out as well.

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The Raptors used 30 different starting lineups last season (as many as they had used in two full seasons in the Dwane Casey Era) and the four remaining starters (Gary Trent Jr. has been replaced by Gradey Dick) have not started a game together since March 1.

In the midst of the toughest start to the schedule of all NBA teams, Toronto can’t afford to lose Barnes for any length of time. Everything revolves around him on offence, he’s a game-changer defensively and a very good rebounder, too.

Barnes was in the midst of one of his best games ever when he went down and had already battled back from being taken down mid-air by Russell Westbrook on a dirty play.

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They already lost one winnable game because Barnes had to leave. The Hornets aren’t great, but now will be favoured on Wednesday.

As head coach Darko Rajakovic said after the loss against Denver, “I told guys that I don’t believe in moral victories. I believe in winning.”

But until Barnes is back, moral victories are probably the most these Raptors can hope for.

AROUND THE RIM

The Raptors exercised team options on the contracts of Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji on Tuesday. The expected moves keep both players signed through the 2025-26 season. Both Kansas players have played well so far, with Agbaji off to his best offensive start and Dick doing a bit of everything. Both have been starters, but one of them will come off the bench if the Raptors ever get fully healthy.

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