The Raptors had to finish their Eastern Conference matchup against the Heat without the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year.
Scottie Barnes left Saturday night’s game with a right ankle sprain. The 21-year-old forward suffered the injury on a drive to the basket midway through the second quarter. He spun past Max Strus and finished a layup over Tyler Herro before landing awkwardly along the baseline.
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Scotttie pic.twitter.com/fwZXRm5aS5
— James Burnes (@JamesBurnes8) October 23, 2022
Barnes appeared to have a slight limp as he walked to the free throw line. He missed the free throw attempt, and Thaddeus Young committed a foul in order to get Barnes out of the game.
Toronto, which lost by a final score of 112-109, later announced that Barnes would not return to the game. Initial X-rays on his ankle were negative.
Will Barnes miss any additional time with his ankle injury? The Sporting News has the latest updates below.
Scottie Barnes injury update
According to head coach Nick Nurse, Barnes is listed as questionable for Monday’s rematch with the Heat due to a right ankle sprain.
Scottie Barnes (right ankle sprain) is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s rematch with the Heat in Miami. Chris Boucher is also listed as questionable, though Nurse had said they expect him to play.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 23, 2022
During Saturday’s postgame media availability, Nurse said that Barnes would undergo an MRI on his right foot. Multiple reporters noted that Barnes was walking around the locker room without a wrap or boot on his foot.
“Obviously, you never want to lose a guy,” Nurse said. “Obviously, he goes out, and they’re talking about X-rays right away. So, you’re concerned that it could be something really serious. We’ll just see. It’s never much fun to have guys go down and wonder how serious all that stuff is. We’ll just see how it goes.”
Before injuring his ankle, Barnes had suffered a left shoulder contusion, but he was able to continue playing. He exited the game after totaling 11 points, two rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes.
Barnes, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, is looking to make the leap into stardom after a terrific rookie campaign. He averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season, narrowly winning the Rookie of the Year award over Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley.
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