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Scottie Barnes flexes on old Raptors pal Siakam and explains why

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
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Dec 4 2024, 3:54 pm
Scottie Barnes flexes on old Raptors pal Siakam and explains why

Toronto Raptors star forward Scottie Barnes was a man on a mission on Tuesday night.

Putting up a career-high 35 points in a 122-111 win over the Indiana Pacers, Barnes was all smiles when speaking to the media postgame about the victory.

And while a few moves of his will crack the highlight reel, one particular second-half basket had a bit of flair, as he pulled out a muscle flex right in front of former Raptors teammate Pascal Siakam.

“Flexed after one of my buckets? I probably flexed after a couple of them. I don’t know which one. Which one are you talking about?” Barnes said with a smile to a question asked by Daily Hive. “I flexed after [Jakob Poeltl’s] bucket too… Just trying to create energy for our team, I’m always going to try to create as much energy as we can, it just helps our team go the right way.”

Though he missed around a month due to injury, he’s picked up right where he left off last season, where he was named to his first All-Star team.

Barnes has averaged 22 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 11 games for the Raptors this season, all of which are career highs through the early stretch of the season.

“He did score 35 points but, for me, much more important than that is the tone that he’s setting for the team, the poise that he’s playing with, how he’s picking up his teammates, the way he’s talking, the way he’s learning to manipulate the game,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said.

While Barnes might have a bit of work to do to make his second All-Star game this go around, his early season returns — and just a bit of swagger — could go a long way to returning him to basketball’s annual showcase.

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