Raptors struggling without RJ Barrett as NBA Cup quarterfinal vs. Knicks looms

TORONTO – When Darko Rajakovic was asked for an update on injured offensive dynamo RJ Barrett before the Toronto Raptors’ third loss in a row on Sunday, the head coach promised an update later in the week.

Judging by the way Barrett was hobbling around outside the Raptors locker room after his team’s 121-113 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, the Canadian requires more time for his sprained right knee to heal.

Whether it’s good or bad news on the 25-year-old Barrett’s health, the rest of his teammates know they have to figure out how to win without him. The Raptors have dropped five of their last eight games without the Mississauga, Ont., standout and five of their last six without Barrett.

“Getting used to playing without somebody who averages 20 and is a real focal point in our offence (isn’t easy),” said Toronto guard Jamal Shead. “Getting used to trying to have other people step up, I think we can do it. We just haven’t figured it out yet.”

Nobody stepped up for the Raptors in the first half of the Celtics game. The visitors enjoyed a whopping 77-59 advantage after two quarters. The second half was different as players like Shead, Ochai Agbaji and AJ Lawson of Brampton, Ont., started contributing off the bench.

Shead and Agbaji nailed three-point jumpers late in the third quarter. Lawson drilled home another three-pointer early in the fourth as the Raptors overcame a 23-point deficit to snatch their first lead with a Shead layup with 10:39 remaining.

Agbaji finished with a season-high 11 points, his first double-digit scoring performance of the 2025-26 campaign.

“They need to step up and help the team because we need every single player in this team to step on the floor and contribute and to continue working,” Rajakovic said. “We know how to get there. We’re going to work on that, and we’ll get there.”

The poor first half left Rajakovic scratching his head. The 77 first-half points were the most Toronto has surrendered in a half this season.

“We all know who RJ is and what he brings to the table for us,” said Rajakovic. “He’s a very important player for us offensively, but I don’t want to look at it in those terms. He’s not here. 

“We gotta figure it out. We have a more than capable team. We have a lot of talent.”

The Raptors have the New York Knicks in town for the fifth and final game of their homestand on Tuesday. It’s not only an NBA Cup quarterfinal, but the Raptors will also be out to avenge a 116-94 loss at Madison Square Garden without Barrett on Nov. 30.

“What I’d personally say is throw everything else out the window,” said Brandon Ingram, who led Toronto with 30 points on the one-year anniversary of suffering a season-ending left ankle injury. “We’re going through a little stretch where things haven’t gone our way. We’ve been in a little losing streak.

“But we have to just remember what happened to us in New York, remember that feeling. The biggest thing is just to clear our minds. None of us like losing, none of us like being in this situation, so we just gotta come in with a clear mind.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2025.