Scottie Barnes Receives Positive News About Ankle Injury

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors tipped off Game 1 of their first-round series on Saturday night in South Philly.

Going into the game, the Sixers were relatively healthy as they had just two players on the injury report. The rookie big man Charles Bassey, who injured his shoulder last week, was ruled out for at least ten days.

As for the rookie guard Jaden Springer, he was also ruled out after missing Game 2 of the NBA G League Championship. On the other end, the Toronto Raptors were totally healthy.

Although a few of their key players have been battling injuries throughout the final stretch of the regular season, the Raptors had a clear injury report going into Saturday's game.

Unfortunately, they couldn't make it out of Game 1 in the same condition. Raptors veteran Thad Young was the first to come out of the game as he dealt with a thumb injury. After getting checked out by the Toronto medical staff, Young was ruled out for the rest of the matchup with a sprained thumb.

Toronto's veteran wasn't the only one to leave the game early. Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes, who injured his ankle in the second half, also left the game early. And once he went back to the locker room to get his ankle checked out, the young standout didn't return to the floor for the rest of the matchup.

Initial Results Are Good

Barnes' absence is significant for the Raptors. As the Rookie of the Year candidate has been one of Toronto's most reliable pieces throughout the year, his team will undoubtedly need him moving forward.

While the sight of Barnes getting helped off the court is worrisome for the Raptors, the initial tests on Barnes' ankle were negative, which is a positive sign for Toronto.

X-rays negative on Scottie Barnes’ left ankle — MRI tomorrow, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 17, 2022

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, X-rays on Barnes' ankle didn't reveal any significant damage. However, further tests will be done on Sunday in Philadelphia.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.