Scottie Barnes is back to his All-Star ways

The Raptors just keep winning. That’s the new thing they do.

Toronto has now won seven of their last eight games and five in a row. They have the longest active win streak in the NBA.

It’s the first time they’ve done those things since February 2023 and April 2022, respectively.

Scottie Barnes led all scorers with 24 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block on 19 shots. The Raptors had seven other players score in double figures.

It helps that they forced the Wizards into 27 turnovers on the night, and Washington shot 39% from the field, but the Raptors’ defense continues to be stellar. They allowed just 82 points on the night. It was the fewest points they’ve allowed all season.

Toronto is now 5.5 games away from Chicago for the final Eastern Conference play-in spot. For what it’s worth, they’re only 1.5 games back of the second-worst record in the East also. That blurs the line between fun and tank.

The Raptors will have a chance to gain some ground, one way or the other, against the Bulls on Friday, but after that, they have a tough schedule prior to the All-Star weekend, with seven of their eight opponents being above .500.

It’ll be a good test to see just how real this recent stretch of basketball is for Toronto.

The Raptors didn’t have Kelly Olynyk (calf) and Gradey Dick (illness) in this game either. Ochai Agbaji stepped in in Dick’s place.

If you’d like a detailed breakdown of their dominant win over the Wizards, why Scottie Barnes is looking like an All-Star, and how the Raptors might approach the rest of the season, check out Esfandiar Baraheni’s full recap on the Raptors Republic YouTube page or subscribe to the channel for more.

Enjoy!

The post Scottie Barnes is back to his All-Star ways first appeared on Raptors Republic.