Peyton Watson, Scottie Barnes Named Players Of Week
Nuggets wing Peyton Watson and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Watson led the depleted Nuggets to a 3-1 record during the week of January 5-11, posting averages of 24.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game while making 70% of his three-point attempts (14-of-20).
The fourth-year swingman entered Denver’s starting lineup in November due to injuries and is enjoying a career year ahead of his restricted free agency. This is the first Player of the Week award of his career.
The Raptors also had a 3-1 record last week with Barnes averaging 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists — he sat out the team’s loss to Boston on Friday due to a right knee sprain, so Toronto was 3-0 when he played.
Barnes’ best game of the week came in an overtime victory over Philadelphia on Sunday — he racked up 31 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, and was a +15 in a game the Raptors won by a single point.
It’s the second time Barnes has earned Player of the Week honors in his career.
Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers), Devin Booker (Suns), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other Western Conference nominees, while Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Joel Embiid (Sixers), Darius Garland (Cavaliers), Jalen Johnson (Hawks) and Andrew Nembhard (Pacers) were also nominated in the East.
Raptors Notes: Martin, Ingram, Agbaji, Injuries
The Raptors had to rely on some unfamiliar players in Friday’s loss at Boston, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes were both unavailable, joining Jakob Poeltl on the injured list, and RJ Barrett left the game after rolling his ankle in the fourth quarter. That resulted in 19 minutes for Jonathan Mogbo and 15 minutes for Alijah Martin, who have both spent most of the season in the G League.
Martin, the 39th pick in last year’s draft, had only logged seven combined minutes in three NBA games prior to Friday, but his duties included trying to contain Jaylen Brown, Boston’s MVP candidate. Martin was up to the challenge, as Brown scored 25 points but shot just 6-of-16 from the field. Martin countered with seven points, three assists and a blocked shot.
“I felt good, really good,” he said. “I got to look at the film, but (Brown’s) a big, strong guy, and his first step, with him being so strong, it’s tough. You can’t give him no space because with a guy like him and his speed and power, if you do, you’re just cooked.
There’s more on the Raptors:
- Ingram, who sprained his right thumb Wednesday night against Charlotte, missed his first game of the season after appearing in 38 in a row, Grange states in the same piece. He’s relieved to be playing regularly again after being limited to 18 appearances last season due to a high ankle sprain. “I’m very happy about it, especially being away from the game for so long, being able to be on the floor every single night,” Ingram said. “It’s been a long time since I played consecutive games over and over again. It’s feeling good just to be on the floor, just to be on the floor and having a basketball in my hand.” Ingram participated in Friday’s shootaround and hopes to return for Sunday’s matchup with Philadelphia.
- Even though the Raptors were shorthanded, Ochai Agbaji didn’t see any playing time, Grange adds. The fourth-year shooting guard started 10 consecutive games in December, but his minutes have been reduced lately. Agbaji has a $6.4MM expiring contract and should be viewed as a potential trade candidate as Toronto tries to get under the luxury tax threshold, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
- X-rays on Barrett’s ankle were negative, Grange tweets. He and Poeltl have already been ruled out for Sunday’s game, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link), while Ingram and Barnes are listed as questionable.
Raptors’ RJ Barrett Suffers Left Ankle Injury Friday
Raptors wing RJ Barrett suffered a left ankle injury late in the fourth quarter of Friday’s eventual loss at Boston, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
According to Lewenberg, Barrett turned his left ankle and appeared to be in a good deal of pain as he limped back to the locker room. He was formally ruled out for the remainder of the game and will undergo additional testing, Lewenberg adds (via Twitter).
The injury occurred when Barrett stepped on Sam Hauser‘s foot, causing his ankle to roll (Twitter video link via Sportsnet.ca). The 25-year-old guard/forward, who missed extended time earlier this season due to a right knee sprain, finished with 19 points, seven assists and four rebounds in 28 minutes.
Toronto was already shorthanded entering Friday’s game, as starters Jakob Poeltl (back), Scottie Barnes (right knee sprain) and Brandon Ingram (right thumb sprain) were all sidelined. It was Poeltl’s ninth straight absence, though he’s said to be close to returning and went through a light practice on Thursday.
Barnes and Ingram, meanwhile, had each appeared in every game for the Raptors this season heading into Friday. Both players were listed as questionable prior to being downgraded to out and are considered day-to-day, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link).
Recent first-round picks Ja’Kobe Walter and Gradey Dick received more playing time on Friday amid the injuries, a trend that could continue if Barrett and other regulars are forced to miss additional time.
Raptors’ Hepburn Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out At Least Six Weeks
Raptors guard Chucky Hepburn has undergone surgery to address a torn meniscus in his right knee and will be reevaluated in six weeks, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).
Hepburn spent three years at Wisconsin prior to transferring to Louisville for his senior season in 2024/25. He went undrafted in June and quickly agreed to a two-way contract with the Raptors.
The 6’0″ point guard has only made two NBA appearances with Toronto for a total of 13 garbage-time minutes. Hepburn has been a productive player at the G League level with the Raptors 905 though, averaging 12.4 points, 8.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.1 rebounds on .415/.368/.871 shooting in 18 Tip-Off Tournament and regular season games (29.3 minutes per contest).
The 22-year-old’s absence won’t have much of an impact on the Raptors’ NBA rotation, given his modest role as a rookie. But obviously the Raptors 905 will miss having their top passer and play-maker for the next several weeks.
In other Raptors injury news, Jakob Poeltl (back) went through a light practice on Thursday in Boston, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, but will miss his ninth consecutive game on Friday against the Celtics (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sports.net). Scottie Barnes (right knee sprain) and Brandon Ingram (right thumb sprain) are questionable to suit up tomorrow, Murphy adds.
Raptors Notes: Murray-Boyles, Mamukelashvili, Ingram, Barnes
It’s easy to overlook Collin Murray-Boyles in a talented rookie class, but the Raptors power forward has started showing that he’s worthy of recognition, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Murray-Boyles displayed his versatility in Monday’s win over Atlanta, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks, making him the first rookie to reach those numbers in a single game since 1991. Grange notes that only three players overall have achieved that combination over the past decade.
“A common mistake is when a player comes in, you already have an idea of what he has to be,” coach Darko Rajakovic said. “Sometimes we as coaches just try to box them in. Obviously, there is a role and there is stuff you’ve got to do. There is stuff you’ve got to learn. We’re constantly learning about Collin, what he can do, how he’s learning, how he is picking up on things. It’s really impressive, his development. The opportunity he’s taking on right now, he’s doing impressive things for us.”
Murray-Boyles does the little things as well, Grange adds, such as getting loose balls, hitting the offensive boards and playing the passing lanes on defense. Averaging just 19.2 minutes per night, he’s not going to have the flashy numbers of some of his peers, but he finds satisfaction in being part of such a strong rookie class.
“Everybody’s finding their niche,” he said. “Everybody’s making an impact on whatever team they were picked. … We’re proud of what we’ve done so far.”
There’s more from Toronto:
- As a late second-round pick in 2021, Sandro Mamukelashvili has felt the need to prove himself since he arrived in the NBA, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. He’s finding ways to limit his self-doubts while enjoying a breakout season in his first year with Toronto. “It’s been tough because of the position I was in,” Mamukelashvili said. “It’s not like you have a lot of chances to make a mistake. When you’re a second rounder on a two-way (contract), you’re such an easy person to move. If they like somebody else, you’re the first one gone. … I was hard on myself because I put a lot of work in and nothing came easy for me.”
- Brandon Ingram left tonight’s game at Charlotte with a sprained right thumb, but X-rays were negative, Lewenberg relays (Twitter link).
- The decision to waive veteran center Mo Bamba on Tuesday leaves the Raptors $967K over the tax threshold and $717K away from the first apron, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Toronto is not operating under a hard cap.
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic breaks down the roster into trade tiers, with Scottie Barnes as the only player listed as “practically untouchable.”
Holmgren, Stewart Named Defensive Players Of The Month
A Thunder player has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a second consecutive time. After guard Cason Wallace won the award for October/November, big man Chet Holmgren has earned the honor for December, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The Thunder, who entered December with a 20-1 record, have looked more mortal in recent weeks, winning nine of 13 games over the course of the month. However, they still posted the conference’s top defensive rating (106.2) in December, with Holmgren acting as the team’s anchor and rim protector.
Holmgren’s 2.0 blocks per game in December ranked second in the conference, while his 8.5 contested shots per game placed him seventh among Western players. Oklahoma City’s defense this past month was nearly six points per 100 possessions better when Holmgren was on the court (101.7) than when he wasn’t (107.6).
Clippers guard Kris Dunn and a trio of former Defensive Players of the Year – Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Draymond Green (Warriors), and Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies) – were also nominated in the Western Conference, per the league (Twitter link).
An unlikely winner claimed the Eastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month award for December, with Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart taking it home despite coming off the bench in 12 of his 13 games and averaging just 23.0 minutes per night during the past month.
Despite his limited role, Stewart ranked second in the East in blocks (2.2) and contested shots (9.4) per game, helping lead Detroit to a 9-4 record and the league’s third-best defensive rating (109.8) in December. The Pistons’ defensive rating with Stewart on the floor was 104.5, compared to 112.2 when he sat.
Knicks teammates OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, and Celtics guard Derrick White were the other nominees in the East. Notably, the Nets didn’t have a nominee despite posting the NBA’s best defensive rating (105.4) in December.
Raptors Notes: Barnes, Reserves, Bamba, Barrett
On the heels of one of their most disappointing losses of the season on Friday in Washington, the Raptors bounced back in impressive fashion, beating Golden State and Orlando in back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday.
In the victory over the Warriors, forward Scottie Barnes led the way by posting the first 20-20 triple-double in franchise history (23 points, 25 rebounds, and 10 assists). In the process, Barnes showed why he remains a centerpiece of the Raptors’ future despite his limitations as a scorer, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
On Monday, with Barnes not at his best (13 points, 5-of-12 shooting), Toronto found another way to win against the Magic, leaning on reserves like Jamal Shead (19 points, five assists), Gradey Dick (15 points), and Collin Murray-Boyles (12 rebounds, two blocks) to help propel them to a victory.
“Those guys, they’re built of special cloth,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said of his youngsters after the win, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. “They’re built of resiliency. They’re really putting in a lot of work. It doesn’t matter if we win, we lose. It doesn’t matter if we’re up, we’re down. It does not really matter what kind of mood we’re in. They’re extremely professional. They’re doing a good job of preparing for each game. They keep going forward.
“I love how fearless they are. I love how together they play. That’s something very important for young guys to learn early in their careers: You’ve got to bring energy every night. It’s very important.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Rajakovic was “very disappointed” that Barnes wasn’t among the top 20 Eastern Conference vote-getters in the first returns of the fan vote for the 2026 All-Star Game, as Grange relays. “We need to get this right. Canada needs to get this right,” the Raptors’ coach said. “… Only two players in the NBA this season have 500 points-plus, 250 assists-plus, 25 blocks-plus and 250 rebounds-plus, and that’s Nikola Jokic and Scottie Barnes. I have no doubt that Scottie Barnes is an All-Star. I have no doubt that he needs to be toward the top of that list of players in the East. Canada, we need to get that fixed right now.”
- Newly signed to a non-guaranteed contract, Mo Bamba didn’t make much of an impact in his Raptors debut on Monday — he blocked a shot but committed two fouls, and the team was outscored by nine points during his four minutes on the court. Still, with Jakob Poeltl out due to a back issue, Bamba should get more chances to show he deserves to stick with the team a little longer, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “I think this is a good opportunity for him to prove to everybody that he belongs in this league,” Rajakovic said. “We’re going to have a very clear plan for him. We’re going to give him an opportunity to show what he can do and hopefully it works for both sides.”
- Bamba said on Monday that he and the Raptors had been in contact since the G League Showcase earlier this month before reaching a contract agreement over the weekend. The former lottery pick added that he has known a few of his new teammates – including Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Barnes – for several years (Twitter links via Lewenberg).
- Barrett had just 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting in his return from a sprained knee on Sunday, then sat out on Monday in the second end of a back-to-back. However, his teammates were very happy to have him back — Toronto’s 116.6 offensive rating during Barrett’s minutes this season is the highest mark of among Raptors players. “He creates so much pressure on the rim,” Barnes said on Sunday, per Grange. “Catch and shoot is amazing. Transition, we know we miss him a lot, those fast breaks … he gets out and runs a lot. He leads our fast breaks. He’s big for us. With play-making, you saw when I screened for him, being able to get that roll, going downhill (and getting) easy dunks. He does a lot for this team that it’s hard to try to take over in that sense.”
Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown Named Players Of Week
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
Leonard led the Clippers to three wins during the week of December 22-28 while posting averages of 41.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest. The star forward erupted for a career-high 55 points against the Pistons on Sunday.
It’s Leonard’s fourth Player of the Week award as a Clipper and the 10th of his NBA career, but it’s the first time he has earned the honor since the 2023/24 season.
Kevin Durant (Rockets), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other Western Conference nominees.
The Celtics, meanwhile, went 2-1 last week with Brown averaging 32.7 points on 55.9 percent shooting from the field while also grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game.
Boston’s star wing has scored at least 30 points in all nine games he has played this month and has now been named the East’s Player of the Week twice in December — he also claimed the award on Dec. 8. Brown and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson have traded the award back and forth in recent weeks, with no other Eastern Conference player winning it since Nov. 24.
LaMelo Ball (Hornets), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Michael Porter Jr. (Nets) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) were all nominated in the East.
RJ Barrett Considered Day-To-Day After Full Contact Work
5:50 pm: Lottery pick Murray-Boyles was actually a late scratch, per Murphy (Twitter link), so either his symptoms resurfaced or there was a miscommunication at some point.
5:15 pm: Raptors wing RJ Barrett has missed extended time due to a right knee sprain, but he’s inching closer to a return. Head coach Darko Rajakovic said Barrett was able to do full contact work on Friday and is progressing “really well,” according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who tweets that the Torontonian is now considered day-to-day.
Barrett was already ruled out of Friday’s contest at Washington, which will be his 15th straight absence. The 25-year-old guard/forward last played on November 23.
Barrett resumed on-court activities last week as he continues to ramp up toward his return. He received a PRP injection to promote healing in his injured knee earlier this month.
The No. 3 overall pick of the 2019 draft, Barrett was off to a solid start to 2025/26 prior to sustaining the injury on November 23 vs. Brooklyn. Through 17 games, he averaged 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 30.9 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .506/.356/.725.
Rajakovic said pregame that Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles will be active on Friday, Murphy adds. Both forwards were battling illnesses, but they’re feeling better now. They were previously considered questionable.
Toronto is currently 18-13, the No. 4 seed in the East.
Raptors Notes: Poeltl, Frontcourt Depth, Barrett, Davis, Shooting
The Raptors have often been forced to play small-ball with center Jakob Poeltl sidelined by a back injury, The Athletic’s Eric Koreen notes. Power forwards Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles and Sandro Mamukelashvili have been filling in during his absences and the results have been predictable.
With Poeltl out, Toronto lost to the Celtics last week while getting out-rebounded 55-37. Poeltl played just seven minutes on Sunday and the victorious Nets beat the Raptors on the boards, 48-39.
Poeltl has been nagged by back issues since the opening weeks of the season. He signed a three-year extension during the offseason.
“It’s pretty unpredictable. He goes in the game and is great in the game. He might wake up in the next morning feeling good or not feeling good. Same thing with practice,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We have a long-term plan for him which consists of managing his injury, which consists of building his strength, which consists of him playing through a certain level of pain. Long-term, we are not concerned at all. It’s just something we’re dealing with in the middle of the season. If it were the offseason and we were to shut him down for two weeks, he would be completely fine.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Poeltl and RJ Barrett missed Tuesday’s game in Miami, Josh Lewenberg of TSN tweets. Poeltl was listed on the team’s injury report as having a lower back strain, instead of “injury management.” Barrett has been out since Nov. 23 due to a knee injury.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet argues that the team needs to acquire depth at the center position rather than hoping Poeltl’s back issues subside. Grange doubts the Raptors will take a big swing and try to acquire Anthony Davis from the Mavericks, noting that Dallas may end up not trading the big man anyway. Grange believes Toronto’s front office should chase a reliable backup instead.
- Another approach the Raptors could take to address their frontcourt depth issues is to sign a free agent. Veteran Mo Bamba is currently toiling in the G League and Grange suggests that a 10-day contract next month might be a worthwhile pursuit (Twitter links).
- The Raptors could also use another shooter, Koreen writes in his latest mailbag. He suggests the Raptors pursue potentially available wings such as Quentin Grimes, Keon Ellis and Collin Sexton.