Scottie Barnes scored a career-high 41 points, but the Toronto Raptors lost 121-114 to the Orlando Magic in their first NBA Cup game of the season.
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Scottie Barnes put up a career-high 41 points but said he was frustrated after the Toronto Raptors dropped a 121-114 decision to the Orlando Magic on Friday in their first NBA Cup game of the season.
Barnes finished with five rebounds and five assists as Toronto fell in the matchup in Toronto.
Asked about the single-game scoring mark immediately after the loss, Barnes said he did not focus on personal numbers right away and that he expected to let time pass before evaluating it.
He said his priority in the game was being aggressive, including getting downhill to attack the net.
Barnes’s frustration was partly tied to free throws: despite attempting 34 field goals, many while driving to the basket, he said he drew only three free throws.
He noted that the Magic were awarded 29 free throws while the Raptors received 15, and he said it was “crazy” that he only shot three times from the line.
Barnes was also asked whether he thought it was harder for the Raptors to get fouled, and he responded with a joking remark before adding that both teams were playing aggressively.
Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic also addressed foul trouble in his post-game remarks, saying that for a player to score 41 points, go to the free-throw line three times, and receive only three foul shots was “B.S.”
Rajakovic said the Magic got to the free-throw line 29 times compared with 15 for Toronto and said he did not think the Raptors were less aggressive or physical.
The game marked Barnes’s 16th career performance with 30-plus points, five rebounds and five assists, a stat line that tied DeMar DeRozan for fourth most in Raptors history.
Starting centre Jakob Poeltl recorded what was described as his best game of the season, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three assists after entering play averaging 2.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.
Poeltl said he did not care about the numbers as long as the team was winning.
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