This is the kind of clutch play that crystallizes a Defensive Player of the Year candidacy.
At 7-foot-1, Chet Holmgren shouldn’t have one of his midrange jumpers blocked by a perimeter player.
But Scottie Barnes did it, and did it when it mattered most to his team, the Toronto Raptors.
Let’s set the scene. With 33.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Raptors were clinging to a 101-99 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder inbounded the ball to Holmgren on the perimeter, isolating him against Barnes, a 6-foot-8 wing.
Holmgren took a few dribbles, lowered his right shoulder into Barnes’ chest and gained only a hint of separation. Holmgren elevated for a jumper, but Barnes reached his right arm into the air and blocked Holmgren’s shot. Barnes then collected the defensive rebound.
“That was big time,” Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley said during his walk-off interview with TSN after the final buzzer. “He’s been making big defensive plays all year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a Defensive Player of the Year (award). Blocks, steals, communication — he’s big time for us.”
The Raptors went on to win 103-101, handing the Thunder their second straight loss at home. OKC has lost consecutive regular-season games at home for the first time since they lost on Nov. 1, 2023, to the New Orleans Pelicans and on Nov. 3, 2023, to the Golden State Warriors.
Barnes finished Sunday’s game with 10 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, one steal and three blocks. Not too shabby, eh?
In addition to his final block, Barnes made another huge play down the stretch. With Toronto leading 101-99, Raptors guard Jamal Shead headed to the free-throw line with 13.0 seconds to go. Shead missed both attempts. Immediately following the second miss, Barnes batted out the loose basketball to Quickley, who was then fouled and made two free throws to clinch the win.
Barnes’ play counted as an offensive rebound, not a defensive rebound. But it’s his defense where he stands out most.
“Scottie’s defense was elite, blocking the shot against Chet Holmgren, getting the offensive rebound after the free-throw miss,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković told reporters in Oklahoma City.
Barnes also spent 2 minutes, 29 seconds guarding reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, according to the NBA’s player-tracking system, with Gilgeous-Alexander going scoreless from the field during that stretch.
The 2025-26 NBA regular season is a little more than halfway over, and the list of Defensive Player of the Year candidates includes Holmgren, the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert, the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo, the Houston Rockets’ Amen Thompson, the Detroit Pistons’ Ausar Thompson, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley and the Boston Celtics’ Derrick White.
And, of course, Barnes — perhaps at the top.
