Scottie Barnes bounces back from hand injury sustained in first half

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No one should discount the three-game winning streak or even try to downplay how the Raptors pulled off this mini-ascension.

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At the same time, perspective is necessary.

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The team's first of three victories came against a depleted Cleveland Cavaliers team, the second against a weaker Memphis Grizzlies team without franchise player Ja Morant.

And the third, on Tuesday night, was against the Milwaukee Bucks, who were playing their second game in a row.

Kudos to the Raptors for pouncing on vulnerable opponents.

Against the Bucks, the Raptors imposed their will early, scoring 39 points in the first quarter, and they would be relentless.

Jakob Poeltl returned to the starting lineup at center, although he was limited to a few minutes due to lower back tightness.

With the ball moving freely on offense, the Raptors were more cohesive on defense and generally played with more purpose and strength.

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If this style of play can be maintained, good things are in store for this Raptors team that is still a work in progress.

But progress is being made, and that's never a bad thing, even when playing against weaker teams or a Bucks team that has never stood up.

Below are three takeaways from the 128-100 win that saw the Raptors improve to 4-4 on the season on a night in which Toronto had a career-high 26 assists on 36 goals and scored 105 points through three quarters, redefining the term “offensive efficiency.”

1. Out of control

Despite scoring 73 points in the first half and despite leading by double digits at the break, there were concerns about the status of Scottie Barnes, who was forced to leave the game in the second quarter due to apparent discomfort while holding his left arm.

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In fact, he had to stop halfway through the tunnel leading to the Raptors locker room.

X-rays were taken and they came back negative and a huge sigh of relief could be felt.

Barnes was diagnosed with a sprained left thumb.

When the second half began, Barnes returned to the court in the starting lineup.

Barnes has been very good early in the season, showing encouraging signs on both ends of the floor.

It goes without saying that the Raptors can't afford to be without Barnes for any length of time.

He has faced setbacks due to injury in the past.

When Barnes scored with his left hand with five minutes left in the game, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers began clearing his bench, knowing the game was officially off.

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2. Bucks will stop here

As valuable as Barnes is to the Raptors, Giannis Antetokounmpo's value to the Bucks is immeasurable.

It is a franchise.

Antetokounmpo entered the probable list on Tuesday.

The night before, his winner led the Bucks to victory over the Indiana Pacers, a win that improved Milwaukee's record to 5-2.

The Pacers crushed Antetokounmpo, calling several hard fouls.

At one point, Antetokounmpo had to pull himself together as he grabbed his left knee.

When the Bucks visited Scotiabank Arena for the Raptors' home opener on the same night as Game 1 of the World Series, Antetokounmpo scored 31 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and dished out seven assists in Milwaukee's 122–116 victory.

The Bucks are not prepared to thrive when their best player, a top-three player in basketball, is not on the court.

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Doubles play is never easy, and when you have to deal with knee discomfort, it becomes even more difficult.

With 3:30 left in the third quarter, Antetokounmpo picked up his third foul.

The Bucks challenged the decision, but it stood.

Antetokounmpo's evening was limited to 24 minutes of play.

He scored 22 points.

Overall, he's not the same player, and with Antetokounmpo not being the same player, the Bucks are an average team at best that doesn't take anything away from the Raptors.

3. High IQ

Immanuel Quickley may have played his best half as a Raptor in the first 24 minutes.

When he goes about his game, Quickley displays a certain bounce to his game that is unmatched.

When he makes shots, sets the tempo and defends the basketball, he looks like a general on the court.

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The problem is that Quickley didn't look the part most nights.

He did this on Tuesday.

His game doesn't lend itself to being a true point guard, whose primary responsibility is to assist rather than create.

Some argue that he plays best without the ball.

When he plays like he did in the first half, Quickley can play on and off the ball, in transition and in the half court.

Toronto was clearly the better team, and Quickley was the best player on the floor.

He wasn't as dominant in the second half, when Toronto played most of the final 24 minutes knowing Milwaukee would have no problem.

Next

The Raptors will get a brief respite from the grind of a long season before resuming play Friday night in Atlanta for an NBA Cup group stage meeting, the first in a series that will see the Raptors travel to Philadelphia for Saturday night's part of the team's five-game road trip.

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