Scottie Barnes is close to returning.
The Toronto Raptors star forward is listed as questionable against the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 19, according to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
Barnes was cleared for contact and was a full participant in practice today. He is expected to be back soon, per Lewenberg.
“I’m so happy that it wasn’t as serious as I thought it was going to be,” Barnes told Lewenberg.
This is a major break for the Raptors. When Barnes initially suffered the ankle injury against the New York Knicks on Dec. 9, it looked bad when Barnes came down hard on Karl-Anthony Towns’ foot.
It had been reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania that Barnes was expected to miss “several weeks,” but now it appears Barnes will be back before Christmas.
Since the Raptors have had a ton of time off between games, Barnes has only missed 2 contests. The Raptors will have another two days off after their game against the Nets, so if Barnes doesn’t suit up against Brooklyn, perhaps he will be ready for action against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 22.
Meanwhile, Raptors center Jakob Poeltl has been ruled out against the Nets with a bilateral groin strain and he’s day-to-day, per Lewenberg.
Poeltl awkwardly fell on his own in the fourth quarter against the Bulls on Dec. 16. He immediately left the game and did not return. With Poeltl out, expect Kelly Olynyk to start in his place and get a bump in minutes.
Bruce Brown (knee) and Immanuel Quickley (elbow) remain out as well, per Lewenberg. Brown is still recovering from offseason knee surgery and has yet to play this season. For Quickley he’s still not ready for full-contact drills and there is no timetable for his return, per Sports Illustrated’s Aaron Rose.
The Raptors are currently on a five-game skid.
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