Scottie Barnes knocked down a tiebreaking free throw with 0.8 seconds left in overtime and intentionally missed the second as the Toronto Raptors edged the Philadelphia 76ers 116-115 on Sunday night in the opener of a back-to-back series between injury-depleted teams.
Barnes, who finished 10 of 12 at the line, scored 31 points to lead Toronto, which won its third straight home game against Philadelphia. Jamal Shead added a career-high 22 points, Immanuel Quickley scored 20, and Collin Murray-Boyles chipped in 17 points and matched his career best with 15 rebounds.
Tyrese Maxey poured in 38 points for the 76ers, while VJ Edgecombe added 17. Kelly Oubre Jr., Domnick Barlow and Quentin Grimes each scored 13, but Philadelphia dropped its second game in the last seven.
Both teams were short-handed. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid (left knee, left groin) and Paul George (left knee) on the first night of the back-to-back. Toronto welcomed Barnes back after he missed Friday’s loss in Boston with a sore right knee, but RJ Barrett (sprained left ankle) was inactive. Brandon Ingram (right thumb) sat out his second straight game, and Jakob Poeltl (lower back) missed his 10th consecutive contest with no timetable for his return.
Toronto’s injury woes continued during the game when rookie Ja’Kobe Walter exited just four minutes into the first quarter with a sore right hip.
Despite the win, the Raptors struggled mightily from long range, finishing just 5 for 32 (.156) from 3-point distance — their worst shooting performance from beyond the arc this season.
Philadelphia hurt itself with mistakes, committing 22 turnovers and recording just 11 assists, both season lows or near-lows.
The 76ers and Raptors meet again Monday night in Toronto to close out the two-game set.
