Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors will be riding a strong wave of momentum Monday night when they host the Orlando Magic.
Barnes opened Toronto’s five-game homestand on Sunday with his seventh career triple-double in a 141-127 overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors.
With 23 points, a career-best 25 rebounds and 10 assists, Barnes helped the Raptors rally from a 13-point third-quarter deficit before they dominated the overtime 19-5.
The Magic can feel good about themselves as they start a three-game road trip after rallying from a 17-point third-quarter deficit Saturday to earn a 127-126 home victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Barnes tied Bismack Biyombo’s team record for rebounds set March 17, 2016, against the Indiana Pacers at Indianapolis.
Barnes is the ninth player in NBA history — playoffs included — with a 23-point, 25-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Wilt Chamberlain did it 18 times and Elgin Baylor accomplished it twice. The others at once each were Maurice Stokes, Bob Pettit, Bill Russell, Billy Cunningham, Maurice Lucas and Nikola Jokic.
“I was in situations where I was able to rebound, help others,” Barnes said. “I was just in the right spots at the right time. I come into every game with that mindset. I just want to go out there and make an impact and be the best I can out there on the floor.”
Immanuel Quickley scored 27 points and Brandon Ingram added 26 for the Raptors, who have won two of their past five.
RJ Barrett contributed 12 points and seven rebounds in about 24 minutes in his return after missing 15 games with a sprained right knee.
“Amazing grit from the whole group and Scottie was leading that with his rebounding effort, leading with playmaking, leading with defense,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He was at a really, really high level today. It was an impressive performance, and I’m looking forward to watching the film tonight again and enjoying that.”
The Raptors rebounded from a 138-117 road loss to the lowly Washington Wizards on Friday.
As for the Magic, the win over the Nuggets helped them make amends for a 120-105 home loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
“I told them in the locker room I’m proud of how they responded after last night knowing we could play better basketball, and we did,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Saturday. “I’m more proud of how they kept their composure the entire time and communicated at a high level of what we were trying to accomplish throughout that game.”
Anthony Black led the Magic scoring with a career-best 38 points, going 7-for-11 from 3-point range.
Black is averaging 15.1 points a game — 24.2 over his past six — and ranks among the most improved players in the NBA.
“Confidence stepping into a shot, playing the right way,” Mosley said. “The things that we’ve talked about him being and doing each night. When he gets that ball in his hands, just looking to attack to get downhill, stepping into a shot, and then taking on the challenge of guarding one of the best guards in the league.”
Black, 21, is in his third season after Orlando selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
“I feel like I put in a tremendous amount of work in the summer,” Black said. “I feel like this year it’s just showing. I’m leaning into it. I’m leaning into my confidence, my abilities and what I worked on this summer.”
This is the first meeting between the teams this season. Toronto won three of four against the Magic last season.
