Travel taking a toll on Toronto Raptors as NBA regular season winds down

San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) plays the ball against defending Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) during the second half of NBA basketball action in Toronto on Sunday, March 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Thomas Skrlj

TORONTO — The rigours of an 82-game season and all the travel that comes with it are catching up to the Toronto Raptors.

Scottie Barnes had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists as Toronto came out flat in a 123-89 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The Raptors had just returned from a four-game West Coast swing and immediately left for Washington, D.C., after the game to face the Wizards on Monday, the first of two away games.

“They came out there and punched us in the mouth,” said Barnes of the Spurs. “But we’ve got a game tomorrow. That’s the best thing about the NBA.

“We’ve got another game tomorrow where we can go out there and try to prove ourselves again.”

Barnes reached 2,000 rebounds in his career on Sunday, achieving the milestone in 267 games. He is the fastest player in franchise history to have more than 2,000 rebounds and over 1,000 assists.

“I’m just trying to play to win, no matter what,” said Barnes. “Everything that I do out there on the floor is specifically just trying to win, trying to do my best out there, trying to do anything that’s possible.”

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 18 points and seven rebounds after he missed three of Toronto’s four games on the road. Rookie Ja’Kobe Walter came off the bench for 10 points after he missed seven games with a right hip flexor.

Head coach Darko Rajakovic said that managing his team’s practice time was a challenge after it played in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

“It’s always the same when you go on the West Coast, come back from a long road trip, for that first home game,” said Rajakovic. “We just didn’t have any energy. We were so slow at the start of the game, they were dictating everything offensively and defensively.

“RJ, coming back after missing seven days, first game for Ja’Kobe after missing some time as well, those guys finding some rhythm. We did not play good enough tonight. We need to be much better, and I expect us to be much better tomorrow.”

Toronto (24-47) has the seventh-worst record in the NBA, giving the Raptors a 32 per cent chance at drawing a top-four pick and a 7.5 per cent chance of winning the top selection in the NBA Draft lottery on May 12.

Washington (15-55) is tied with the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets with a 52.1 per cent chance of being in the top four and a 14 per cent chance at No. 1 overall.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press