The Toronto Raptors, in the third season of a rebuild, are hanging onto a sliver of hope if they want to reassert themselves as a player in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are coming off a win and, six games behind the Miami Heat in 10th, still have a slim chance of making the postseason.
If Toronto wants to continue its late charge, it’ll need strong play from its sole recent All-Star, Scottie Barnes, who’s averaged just 18.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game over his last 10 games on a poor 46.0% effective field goal percentage.
The Raptors should have a solid opportunity to pick up their second straight win tonight against the collapsing Brooklyn Nets, who have lost four straight and will be resting arguably their best player, Cameron Johnson, tonight.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Toronto is a 2.5-point underdog and the total is set for 214. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around Barnes.
Best Scottie Barnes Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Scottie Barnes 8+ Rebounds (+105)
With several of the Raptors’ top scorers sidelined — Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley in particular — the team has shot horribly. Since Dick’s knee injury on March 2, Toronto has shot just 39.6% from the field, the fourth-worst percentage in the NBA. Unsurprisingly, across that span, Barnes has averaged 8.7 boards per game, the 18th-most among among 178 players who have appeared in at least 10 games since then and an increase over his average of 7.8 boards per game prior to Dick’s injury. RJ Barrett is back, which should limit Barnes’ ceiling on the glass somewhat, but with Barrett in and out of the rotation all season, Barnes has recorded 10 or more rebounds in six of his last 10 contests.
Honestly, anything is a target against these Nets, given that they have gone just 3-15 since the All-Star break and are without either of their top two scorers tonight. Center Nic Claxton, who will also be tasked with arguably the largest offensive load, is posting his lowest rebounding percentage since the 2021-22 season, and overall, since the All-Star break, Brooklyn has conceded the 11th-most rebounds per game and the fourth-highest offensive rebounding percentage. That level of ineptitude especially stands out when you also consider that its offense operates at the league’s fifth-slowest pace. The Raptors play at the league’s 10th-fastest tempo, so they should be able to speed up the game and expose the Nets’ shortcomings on the glass.
Scottie Barnes U18.5 Points (-125)
Quite simply, though, I don’t trust Barnes as a scorer. Even against the lowly Washington Wizards on on Monday, he recorded just 13 points, making only five of his 16 shots and none of his five three-point attempts. With the exception of last season and rookie season, when he posted a true shooting percentage just two percentiles below league average, he’s never been a good shooter. He’s made more than 50% of his shots in just 14 of his 57 games, and Barrett typically commands more usage than him when he plays. Barnes has only scored more than 18 points four times this month, one of which came with Barrett sidelined, another of which came against the horrific San Antonio Spurs, and the other two against the even-worse Utah Jazz.
