Scottie Barnes caps big game, Raptors OT win vs. 76ers in bizarre fashion
One of the most laboured endings in an NBA game somehow also ended very quickly.
Barnes secured the Raptors' sixth win in seven meetings against the 76ers with a game-sealing free throw. Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images
One of the most laboured endings in an NBA game somehow also ended very quickly.
Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes split a pair of free throws to give the Raptors a 116-115 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night. Barnes made the first shot, and then missed the second one on purpose, as there was less than a second remaining. Collin Murray-Boyles knocked the ball away, with the clock running out.
The bizarre final moments fit right in with the rest of the game. The teams combined to hit just 13 of 63 shots from 3-point range, and fouls were numerous. That the game went to overtime was already miraculous. The Raptors trailed by four points after Sixers star Tyrese Maxey hit a 3 with 20.1 seconds remaining.
The Raptors needed to win two challenges, including one that resulted in a 76ers turnover on an inbound play, while Philadelphia lost one, in the interim. The Raptors trailed by two as a result. After the Raptors’ first few options were denied, the inbound pass went to Collin Murray-Boyles, who somehow resisted shooting, instead passing to Jamal Shead for a short push shot to tie the game with 1.9 seconds remaining.
Overtime was only a little less hectic. The Raptors had control, but VJ Edgecombe tied the game with a 30-footer near the end of the shot clock with 15.6 seconds remaining. Barnes then appeared to put the Raptors ahead when he had a floater, but the shot did not count as continuation.
However, since it was Philadelphia’s second foul in the last two minutes, Barnes got to go to the free-throw line, ultimately putting the game away. He had 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Raptors. Maxey had 38 points for the 76ers.
The Raptors won a game in the final seconds in more conventional fashion earlier in the week, with Immanuel Quickley hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater in Charlotte. And if that wasn’t enough, the Raptors and 76ers play again in Toronto on Monday.
Eric Koreen is a senior writer covering the Raptors and the NBA. Previously, he has written for the National Post, Canadian Press, Sportsnet and Complex.