The Raptors fumbled a fourth-quarter lead yet again against one of the top teams in the NBA, but there was a glaring problem in this one that may have been able to be avoided.
Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors fell 110-107 to the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night in Scotiabank Arena. Despite losing both ends of the back-to-back set against the top two seeds in the Western Conference, Barnes contributed 15 points on 53.8% shooting to match three steals and a block. While he’s led the league in total stocks (steals + blocks) for the majority of the season, two-time All-Star Victor Wembanyama took the lead after contributing five blocks in Toronto.
While the 22-year-old French superstar has officially entered superstar status this season, he did not have his best against Barnes and the Raptors. He contributed just 12 points on 3-for-12 shooting, but his defensive prowess was enough to give San Antonio the win.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) with Toronto Raptors guard/forward RJ Barrett (9) and forward/center Collin Murray-Boyles (12) | © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Possibly the most impactful moment in the game for the Spurs was the start of the fourth quarter. After facing a 12-point deficit to begin the final period, San Antonio went on a 15-2 run to take the lead with 7:26 remaining. Some blamed head coach Darko Rajakovic for this game-altering run due to the two All-Stars, Barnes and Brandon Ingram, starting the quarter on the bench.
TSN Sports’ Josh Lewenberg asked the Serbian head coach what the reasoning was for having the two stars out to begin the quarter.
“He said that [Ingram] played most of the 3rd and always sits to start the 4th, while Scottie [Barnes] was playing ‘through pain’ and ‘on 1 leg,’” said Lewenberg. “They were trying to buy him some extra rest (until they couldn’t anymore).”
This is true, as Ingram was tasked with playing in the entire third quarter, during which the Raptors were able to boost their lead from two to 12. As for Barnes, he was questionable coming into the game due to a quad contusion that he suffered the night before in a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Hearing that he was struggling to make it through the game surely isn’t a good sign, despite his fair play in the contest.
Has This Happened Regularly for the Raptors?
Fumbling fourth-quarter leads is not something new to this Raptors squad. The inability to finish games has been a consistent issue against the better teams in the league throughout this season. Their record against top-10 teams is now a measly 1-15, outside of the Cleveland Cavaliers; if they want to compete in the postseason, they need to prove they can finish games against the best competition.
As seen in this contest, the problem is not the two stars’ ability to close games. It comes down to the supporting cast of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and others to score baskets when the defense is at its most intense. One would think that it would be easier for the role players to perform when the majority of the defense is focused on Barnes and Ingram, but the lack of consistency has prevailed time and time again in late moments of big games.