Scottie Barnes' historic performance pushes Raptors higher in power rankings

The Toronto Raptors are knocking on the door of the top teams in the NBA.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry battles for the ball with Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are buzzing after Scottie Barnes' epic and historic performance in the team's latest win against the Golden State Warriors.

Barnes scored 23 points while grabbing 25 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists in an overtime victory against Stephen Curry and the Warriors. Barnes' heroics helped the Raptors move up one spot in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings from No. 13 to 12.

"The Raptors have seen the league’s biggest drop-offs in both winning percentage and point differential per 100 possessions since (American) Thanksgiving. But they got RJ Barrett back from a 15-game absence on Sunday and then got a huge performance from Scottie Barnes as they came back from a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Warriors in overtime," Schuhmann wrote.

"Barnes started at center on Sunday and had 23 points, a career-high 25 rebounds and 10 assists in the win over the Warriors. He sent the game to overtime with a tip-in at the end of regulation and then outrebounded the Warriors (6-0) in the extra period. Fourteen of his 17 shots came in the paint, and he’s now registering career-best marks in the paint (58.3%), from mid-range (41.2%) and from 3-point range (35.4%)."

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry controls the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Ochai Agbaji tries to defend. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Raptors jump up one spot in power rankings

The Raptors still sit behind the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs in the power rankings.

However, they are beginning to look like a team in a more positive light, because RJ Barrett is back from injury after sitting out for 15 games with a knee sprain.

"The Raptors’ post-Thanksgiving swoon roughly coincided with Barrett’s absence. They’re now 13-5 (with eight straight wins) in games he’s played and have been at their best offensively (116.6 points scored per 100 possessions) with him on the floor," Schuhmann wrote.

If the Raptors can play like they did before Barrett's injury, they will continue to climb in the power rankings.

The Raptors will close out the year with two tough games at home against Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic, and Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. The new year begins with the end of the home stand which features two games against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. All of the games can be watched on TSN Sports or streamed on NBA League Pass.