The Toronto Raptors are 2-0, and Scottie Barnes is the biggest reason why. Barnes posted 28 points, 14 rebounds and five assists on Friday night, carrying Toronto to a 112-102 win over the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in a game the Raptors led from start to finish.
It was the kind of line that puts a player in rare company. Per StatsCentre, a road game of at least 28 points, 14 rebounds and five assists has only happened five times in Raptors history, and Barnes now owns two of them.
Road performances by a Raptors player of at least 28 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists: Barnes (earlier tonight at WSH), Barnes (31-14-7 on 11/25/2024 at DET), Siakam (38-15-6 on 12/29/2022 at PHI), Bosh (37-14-5 on 3/30/07 at WSH), Doug Christie (29-15-7 on 4/2/97 at PHI). (StatsCentre)
A First Quarter That Set The Tone
Toronto wasted no time. RJ Barrett and Kawhi Leonard hit three-pointers to open the scoring, Collin Murray-Boyles turned a steal into a dunk to stretch the lead to 22-11, and the Raptors closed the first quarter on an 18-10 run to go up 34-21. Barnes drained two jumpers and a three-pointer during that late surge, and Washington managed just four made field goals in the entire opening quarter.
The lead peaked at 17 early in the second, when Barrett and Allen Graves scored the first two baskets of the quarter to make it 38-21. Barnes finished the night 12 of 26 from the floor and a perfect 3 of 3 at the line in 36 minutes, and he did his damage everywhere, adding two steals and two blocks on the defensive end.
Washington Pushed Back
The Wizards did not fold. Down 17, they closed within a possession for the first time since the first quarter on a Bilal Coulibaly layup that made it 64-61 early in the third, then trimmed the lead to a single point with a 9-0 run. Barnes answered with a dunk that pushed it back to 76-66 with 2:50 left in the third, but Trae Young hit his third three-pointer of the night to spark an 11-2 Washington run, and only a Jamison Battle three before the buzzer kept Toronto in front 81-77 heading into the fourth.
Young finished with 22 points and 12 assists, and his fourth three of the night pulled Washington within five at 94-89 with 8:04 to play. Tre Johnson added 20 points for the Wizards. Anthony Davis, in his second game with Washington after scoring 34 in their opener, was held to nine points on 3 of 12 shooting. The Wizards were also missing AJ Dybantsa, the top overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, who sat out a second straight game with a sprained left ankle.
Barnes And Barrett Closed The Door
Every time Washington threatened, Toronto had an answer. After Young’s three cut it to five, the Raptors responded with an 11-3 run powered by Barrett, who scored on a pair of driving layups and an 18-foot jumper in the stretch. When Washington scored five straight to hang around again, Leonard made a pair of baskets and Barnes converted a three-point play to effectively seal it. Toronto outscored Washington 31-25 in the fourth quarter.
Barrett finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, Leonard added 16 points and three steals, and Immanuel Quickley chipped in 12 points and six assists. The Raptors won the game in the trenches, outscoring Washington 52-32 in the paint and dominating the offensive glass 18-6.
A Defensive Identity Is Forming
Two games into the season, a pattern is clear. Toronto forced 23 Washington turnovers on Friday, two nights after Chicago committed 27 in the Raptors’ season-opening rout. That is 50 forced turnovers across two games, and it is turning defense into easy offense for a team that never trailed on Friday night.
The one blemish on Barnes’ night was ball security, as he committed eight turnovers with the offense running through him. It is the tradeoff of a franchise player carrying this much creation load, and on Friday the production far outweighed the mistakes. The test gets harder from here: the Raptors visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, while the Wizards head to Chicago on Saturday to complete their first back-to-back of the season.
