Raptors forward Scottie Barnes broke his left hand in Toronto’s home loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday and will be sidelined indefinitely.
Barnes was hurt with 1:56 left in the first half as his hand hit the rim while trying to block a shot.
The team announced post-game he fractured the third metacarpal bone.
Barnes was riding a career-high run of five straight double-doubles before Friday. He ended the night with 10 points and six rebounds in 16 minutes during the Raptors’ 120-105 defeat.
“Obviously when you lose an all-star player in the game, that definitely changes a lot of things,” said Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic. “We tried with different lineups, different players tonight, gave multiple players opportunities there.”
In 60 games (all starts) this season, Barnes is averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists. The stats are all career highs for Barnes, the 2021-22 rookie of the year who was selected as an all-star for the first time this season.
Over 211 career games (210 starts) with the Raptors, Barnes — the No. 4 pick in the 2021 draft — has averages of 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
Warriors veteran Draymond Green said of Barnes after the game: “He’s shooting the ball a lot better. He’s making reads. Super aggressive. He’s making guys around him better. …
“Scottie’s the face of the franchise. … He’s a special, special, special talent. … I think Scottie will do way more than I ever did in my career.”
Westbrook injured trying to poke ball away
Russell Westbrook fractured his left hand in the first half of the Los Angeles Clippers’ 140-115 win over the visiting Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Westbrook, 35, appeared to sustain the injury trying to poke the ball away from Jordan Poole with 10:01 left in the second. He left with 8:10 remaining in the second quarter and did not return.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue did not have an immediate timetable for how long Westbrook will be out.
“I just feel bad for Russ right now,” Lue said. “You never want to see a player get hurt. I don’t know if he needs surgery or anything yet, but he’s out right now, so just trying to figure it out.”
Westbrook had six points and one assist in 10 minutes off the bench.
He has played in every game for the Clippers this season, averaging 11.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 23 minutes. He had moved to the bench following the Nov. 1 trade for James Harden but remained an important part of the lineup.
Harden said the team will miss Westbrook, specifically noting the loss of “his athleticism, his energy, his playmaking ability, leadership.”
