The Toronto Raptors keep stacking wins and building momentum. Their latest victory came in dramatic fashion, as they held off the Charlotte Hornets and secured their eighth win in nine games. After RJ Barrett scored a tough layup to put Toronto ahead 110 to 108 with 18 seconds left, the Raptors needed one last defensive stand to close the night, per The Athletic. Scottie Barnes delivered exactly that.
Brandon Ingram erased a Ryan Kalkbrenner dunk attempt at the ten-second mark, then Scottie Barnes sealed the game by sending Collin Sexton’s layup right back as the buzzer sounded. Barnes’ timing kept Toronto’s streak alive, and after the game he walked reporters through the moment.
“I made the right play,” Barnes said. “I kind of was watching, seeing who was going to get a rebound, and the ball was bobbled into his hands, per Sports Illustrated. At that point, that was kind of my man, so I kind of didn’t box out. So I went up and got a block.”
The Raptors entered the matchup with eight wins, yet none of them required last-second execution. Every win before Monday came by double digits. This time, Toronto faced pressure in the final possessions and leaned on composure to escape.
Barnes said the Raptors stayed connected when it mattered: “We knew they were a really good team. They have a lot of guys who like to drive the ball. They run a lot of guard-to-guard screens, a lot of slip-outs. We just had to talk, communicate, and communicate our switches. You know, we fought this one out. This was a good win tonight.”
Head coach Darko Rajaković praised the reads his forwards made. “All of those end-of-the-game situations there, BI and Scottie, it’s just high-level basketball instincts and IQ,” Rajaković said.
Barnes and Ingram Lift Raptors Through Clutch Test
Toronto’s forwards continue to drive the group’s success. Barnes delivered another well-rounded performance with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. He keeps pushing the Raptors’ uptempo identity, and the team leaned on that approach again by winning the fast-break battle by 21 points.
Ingram also came through in a different way. He joined Toronto at last year’s trade deadline and signed a three-year deal soon after. The Raptors brought him in to help their half-court offense and to give Barnes more freedom to attack in space. Critics often pointed to Ingram’s tendency to hold the ball late in games, yet he showed poise in the final minute against Charlotte.
Instead of forcing a contested jumper, he drew a double team and found Barrett cutting for the go-ahead layup. After the game, Ingram described the thought process behind the pass.
“I wasn’t able to be that patient earlier in my career, even the year before last,” he said. “But just seeing it over and over again, I took a few deep breaths. I knew I had to be patient because I knew they were going to send two, and I knew I didn’t want to turn it over. If they didn’t come, I was going to shoot a turnaround on Collin. He’s too small. And if they sent two, I might have still shot it, but I was looking for the open play.”
Raptors Try to Build on Their Momentum
Toronto now sits at 9 and 5 after winning four times on a five-game road trip. The group reached four games above .500 for the first time since Barnes’ rookie season, and Monday’s win served as their first real clutch test of the year.
Barnes said the team plans to keep building. “It’s great that we’re winning games, but keep staying humble, keep staying hungry,” he said. “It’s only the beginning of the season. But we’re really good. We’re really talented. People are going to keep continuing to see that.”
The Raptors travel to Philadelphia next before opening a four-game homestand.
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