Barrett, Barnes and why the Raptors bounced back vs. Orlando

The Orlando Magic had no answer for the size, skill and aggressiveness of Toronto's Killer B's.

Published Oct 28, 2026  •  Last updated 9 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic dribbles the ball to the net while guarded by Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors during the first half of an NBA game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Oct. 28, 2026. Photo by Tara Walton /Getty Images

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The Toronto Raptors badly needed some positive momentum, and got it through a solid team effort in a win over the visiting Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

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Coming off a hideous performance on the road against Minnesota, Scottie Barnes was spectacular — including a 360 dunk that brought the crowd to its feet — RJ Barrett was stellar, and Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter provided sparks at needed times in the team’s 1299-99 win.

Barrett had started the season making only one of 11 three-point attempts, but nailed his first three of the night Wednesday to power the Raptors to a 32-25 lead after a first quarter that was far from their best of the year.

Barnes finished with 28 points, Barrett 25. Only one Magic player, Tristan Da Silva, with 20, had more than 15.

Aggression up

Barnes was far more aggressive than he had been in the Raptors’ ugly loss against the Wolves on Sunday. He looked to attack immediately and kept at it. It helped that Orlando is not good at protecting the rim, unlike the Wolves with Rudy Gobert, but Barnes had his mind set on getting all the way to the basket.

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Barnes had missed 15 straight shots dating back to 12 in a row against Minnesota and his last three against Washington, before throwing down a reverse dunk on his second attempt Wednesday.

He didn’t stop there, continuously going around, and often through, Orlando’s defenders in a tour de force performance. Shead also got into the paint at will during a big stretch in the first half, helping the Raptors end the second quarter on a 27-11 run. They didn’t look back, with Shead playing what easily was his best game of this new season. Starting point guard Immanuel Quickley also had a strong night.

The Raptors had entered the night last in the NBA with only nine three-point makes a game, but nailed a season-best 14.

Stars in street clothes

Unfortunately, the main theme of this NBA season so far probably has been all of the injuries that have forced top players to the sidelines. On Wednesday in Toronto, the best scorer on either side, Kawhi Leonard for the Raptors and Paolo Banchero for the Magic, were out, along with top Orlando defender Jalen Suggs. None are expected back anytime soon.

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Every day seems to bring news of another elite player going down.

On Wednesday it was superstar Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was in the midst of a successful return after missing the entire 2025-26 season. Haliburton has a left hamstring strain.

A day earlier, it was perhaps the NBA’s best shooting guard, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, fresh off a 47-point game, listed as out long-term as he awaits arthroscopic knee surgery. Utah also got scares when standout big men Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen got hurt in the same game, though only Jackson is expected out for weeks.

Just before all of this, the title favourite Oklahoma City Thunder lost No. 2 player Jalen Williams for the season due to a gruesome injury, and top-notch young defender Cason Wallace will be out for at least four months because of a shoulder issue.

And former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons, attempting a comeback after missing most of the last five seasons, didn’t even making it through the pre-season before tearing his Achilles.

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It isn’t just top players either. Per stats guru Keerthika Uthayakumar, 79 players were listed with an injury or illness on Wednesday’s injury report, roughly 15% of the entire NBA.

While there are lots of theories about why this is happening, no clear answers have emerged so far.

Good, bad and ugly

The good: Barrett was brilliant, Barnes dominated, Shead provided a huge spark, especially in the pivotal second quarter and little-used Trayce Jackson-Davis provided a lift when the top two centre options could not deliver.

The bad: Collin Murray-Boyles doesn’t look like the dynamic player he was against Chicago and even Washington. He’s making mistakes at both ends and not playing with enough force on offence.

The ugly: Jakob Poeltl was terrible early, couldn’t stop fouling throughout and struggled to make a positive impact. His start to the season has been perhaps Toronto’s low point, especially since he looked solid in the pre-season coming off last season’s back woes.

UP NEXT:

The teams play against each other again here on Friday before the 3-1 Raptors head West for a Sunday-Monday back-to-back against the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers.

@WolstatSun

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