Scottie Barnes' game-winning block just the beginning for Raptors

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes came up clutch against the Charlotte Hornets.

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) brings the ball up court during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are now winners of eight of their last nine games after taking down the Charlotte Hornets in nail-biting fashion. After an RJ Barrett layup put the Raptors up 110-108 with just 18 seconds left, it was up to the Raptors' defense to get a stop.

Luckily, that is exactly what they did.

After Brandon Ingram stuffed a Ryan Kalkbrenner dunk attempt that would have tied the game with ten seconds left, Scottie Barnes decided to get in on the block party as well, swatting away Collin Sexton's game-tying layup at the buzzer. After the win, Barnes explained what went through his mind during his game-saving block in the closing seconds.

"I made the right play," Barnes said. "I kind of was watching, seeing who was going to get a rebound, and the ball was bobbled into his hands. At that point, that was kind of my man, so I kind of didn't box out. So I went up and got a block."

RJ BARRETT PUTS TORONTO AHEAD.

BRANDON INGRAM WITH THE HUGE SWAT.

SCOTTIE BARNES WITH THE CLUTCH BLOCK.@Raptors have won 8 of their last 9 games 👀 pic.twitter.com/C2tQhFh30g

— NBA (@NBA) November 18, 2025

Raptors get their first clutch win of the season

Despite having eight wins on the season going into their matchup with the Hornets, none of those wins came down to the final seconds. Each of Toronto's first eight wins was by double-digits, meaning this game against the Hornets was their first real test in the clutch.

Barnes was asked what this win says about the Raptors and how they were able to close it out in the clutch.

"We knew they were a really good team. They have a lot of guys who like to drive the ball. They run a lot of guard-to-guard screens, a lot of slip-outs. We just had to talk, communicate, and communicate our switches. You know, we fought this one out. This was a good win tonight," Barnes said.

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) drives to the basket in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. | David Richard-Imagn Images

Of course, the Raptors would love it if none of their games came down to a last-second block, similar to their first eight wins of the season, but this win over the Hornets shows the resilience that Toronto needs to have in order to be a legitimate contender in the East. The Raptors are now tied for third place in the conference, but Barnes knows there is still plenty of work to do.

"It's great that we're winning games, but keep staying humble and keep staying hungry," Barnes said. "It's only the beginning of the season, but we're really good. We're really talented. People are going to keep continuing to see that."