barnes raptors
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) blocks Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the first half on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New York.
Down by as many as 15 points before a 15-0 run was forged with their two best players on the bench, Sunday night in Brooklyn turned into a wild ride for the Raptors.
Sluggish and inept, the visitors found their footing to close out the third period, producing a compelling finish to the Raptors 96-81 loss to the Nets to begin a three-game road trip.
The evening’s most competitive moments arrived in the fourth quarter, which seemed fitting, despite the many moments of inefficiency that characterized Toronto’s play up until its late-quarter surge in the third period that would carry over into the fourth.
Brooklyn responded by going on its own run to retake a double-digit lead in the final period, taking advantage of a poor Raptors defence, aided by too many quick shots heaved by the visitors.
The following are three takeaways on a night the Raptors managed to score a season-low 39 points in the opening half.
This is getting a bit ridiculous, an ongoing issue that continues to take more twists and turns amid so few answers.
Given the nature of lower-back conditions, it might behoove the Raptors to hold centre Jakob Poeltl out of games until he’s as close to 100% as possible.
Or perhaps it’s best they finally realize that another big must be acquired.
Poeltl started Sunday after sitting out Saturday’s home tip. But against the Nets, he would last a grand total of seven minutes before being ruled out for the rest of the night because of back stiffness, per the club.
On the injury report, he was listed as questionable. The question now being asked, however, is if Poeltl will be healthy any time soon.
In the nine full games Poeltl has missed, the Raptors went 4-5 and were routinely abused on the glass. With Poeltl limited to seven minutes, the Nets outrebounded Toronto 48-39.
RJ Barrett (knee), meanwhile, continues to be out, but was seen pre-game doing some on-court basketball-related work, an encouraging sign for the team’s starting small forward.
There’ve been a handful of games when Brandon Ingram, who was limited to 18 games last season following an ankle injury, dodged a bullet.
The latest arrived at the Barclays Center on Sunday when he appeared to have hurt his ankle in the opening half. He was accompanied to the Raptors’ locker room by Alex McKechnie, the team’s VP of player health and performance. It’s never a good sign when McKechnie is seen with a player leaving the court area.