"Immanuel Quickley continued his impressive streak in that game, but many eyes were on Scottie Barnes' masterful defense, which arguably secured the win for Toronto down the stretch. Barnes finished with a modest 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting, but remained impactful with 11 rebounds and eight assists. His defensive brilliance was on full display as he continued to be the NBA's top season total stocks machine ( steals + blocks) with three blocks and one steal."
"The most noteworthy highlight of the game came with the Raptors up by two and just over 30 seconds to go. Chet Holmgren received the inbound pass, looking for his shot, but Barnes stuck to him like glue and delivered a massive block on the fellow defensive standout. Now, coming out of this one, I think the Scottie Barnes Defensive Player of the Year chatter has only heated up."
Toronto defeated the reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder by two points despite both teams missing key players; Thunder without Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Alex Caruso, Raptors without Jakob Poeltl and Collin Murray-Boyles. Immanuel Quickley extended his scoring streak while Scottie Barnes delivered elite defense with 10 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and one steal. Barnes blocked Chet Holmgren with just over 30 seconds remaining to preserve the lead. Victor Wembanyama faces possible exclusion from DPOY contention due to the NBA minimum games rule, pushing attention toward Barnes, Chet Holmgren, and Rudy Gobert.
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