Barnes shines in Raptors win against Hornets
It’s nights like Thursday’s 124-114 Toronto Raptors win over the Charlotte Hornets where we’re reminded about Scottie Barnes’ star potential.
Over the course of the Raptors’ losing stretch in December and January, head coach Nick Nurse repeatedly mentioned how it’s taken Barnes longer to find his rhythm and attack the rim — often opting for harder shots on the perimeter to start matchups. That wasn’t the case for Barnes versus the Hornets.
Instead, he focused on the paint early, made tough pick-and roll screens and found teammates who shared his exceptional court vision. Toronto was then a third straight win — a first for the 2022-23 campaign.
“That does a lot, especially just the way he did it with such pace early in the offence,” Nurse said post-game. “I think that really just ignited our pace in general.”
Nurse observed that Barnes was able to find teammates for 3-pointers in the paint. His speed and quickness helped him set up quick actions as the ball moved.
“That’s hard to guard when you’re playing with that kind of pace. Nurse stated that he was the one who set the tone.
Barnes ended the night with 21 points, a game-high nine assists and 21 points. Barnes’ plus-15 differential was also a game record, surpassing any other Raptor with more than a plus-6.
“I’m really trying to find the best shots,” said Barnes.
He didn’t settle for pull-up jumpers and said he could get them “whenever he wanted”, but the Rookie of Year decided to use the fact that the Hornets were high up on the ball screen during their matchup.
Right from the jump, Barnes was aggressive, helping the Raptors push the ball “side to side,” but also toward the paint. His four first field goals were dunks. Barnes also frequently found teammates to assist him on easy buckets in and around the paint.
Barnes’ third quarter was just as exciting. Along with getting poked in the eye — which forced him to the floor for an extended period — he threw down another nasty slam.
Barnes’ ability to find his teammates was part of an overall trend for the Raptors, as they finished with 30 assists — even though Nurse says it could have been 40 with all the solid possessions they created.
The Raptors have recorded 62 assists over their past two contests — the most in a two-game stretch in the 2022-23 campaign.
This time around against the Hornets — after also beating them on Tuesday — the Raptors deployed a steady dose of pick-and-rolls. Nurse claims that this was a concerted effort. They tried to run the action in a middle of the floor and then hit the roller to press paint on the floor.
The Raptors maintained a strong lead throughout Thursday’s game, often exceeding double digits. The Hornets were able to bring it down to seven multiple times in the third and fourth quarters — and even as few as five with 1:39 to go in the final frame.
Just like Tuesday night, it was the Hornets’ backcourt tandem of LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier that led the charge. The former scored 32 and received seven assists, while Rozier contributed 21 points.
However, the Raptors’ defensive intensity prevailed, and was consistent with both its starters and bench players. For the third game in a row, no Raptor logged over 40 minutes — a rare feat throughout 2022-23.
PreciousAchiuwa added another spark to the bench. He is now regaining his rhythm after missing 24 of the previous 25 games. Nurse said that the centre had 10 points and five steals for his career.
Barnes also continues to be unique on the defensive end, as he becomes more comfortable guarding the other team’s biggest player — oftentimes their centre.
“I feel like I’m a big guy as well, I got some muscle on me. It’s just about playing with some heart and physicality as well,” said Barnes, noting that he tries to always box his man out, but also push the pace since a lot of big men don’t like running the floor.
The Raptors are now at 19-23, good enough for 11th place in the East.
The Raptors have their worst record of 42 games since 2012-13, but they are now 5-5 in the last 10 and are looking up as they attempt to overcome another poor first half.
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