The Raptors covered Durant well as a team, but there was one star leading the efforts on that end of the court, in particular. Scottie Barnes made sure to utilize his size, length

I think I'm just a natural star defender,” Barnes said. “I'm trying to read everything out there on the floor, I'm making my own little game plan, similar to what Draymond (Green, Golden State Warriors star) does,

The Toronto Raptors believe Scottie Barnes is one of the league's best defenders and his performance on Sunday against Kevin Durant certainly proved it

Scottie Barnes led the Toronto Raptors to a dominant 127-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. A big reason for the Raptors securing a hard-fought win in the comforts of Scotiabank Arena was undoubtedly the tremendous defensive effort from Barnes.

The Raptors don’t get much of a spotlight in the U.S. unless the team is a contender. That said, Barnes still managed to win rookie of the year over the likes of Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham, so the message got out on him that year at least and he also has made an all-star appearance.

Defence is becoming a collective mindset for the Raptors. They have the league’s seventh-best defensive rating since early January, limiting opponents to 111 points per 100 possessions. (Their 116.5 rating for the season is among the league’s worst.)

Basketball fans got treated to a couple of entertaining games over the weekend. Overtime against Miami and then this performance by the Raptors that was one of the team’s best all year. The crowd

Scottie Barnes continues to establish himself as one of the most promising young players in the league, especially with his growth on the defensive end. (Credit: Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via ...

The Raptors can redeploy their minutes to see more from their young role players, reaping some other benefits in the process.

The Canadian franchise considers Barnes one of the best defenders in the NBA after his performance against Kevin Durant.

The Phoenix Suns play against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena The Phoenix Suns are spending $8,174,402 per win while the Toronto Raptors are spending $9,594,748 per win Game Time: 6:00 PM