RJ Barrett returns to Raptors lineup after missing five weeks

Golden State Warriors center Quinten Post (21) and Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) watch for the rebound during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

TORONTO — Finally, RJ Barrett is back in the Toronto Raptors’ starting lineup, even if it’s with a minutes restriction.

Barrett, from Mississauga, Ont., had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists as Toronto rallied past the Golden State Warriors for a 141-127 overtime victory on Sunday. Barrett played 24 minutes after missing five weeks of Toronto’s season with a sprained right knee.

“Frustrating, very frustrating,” said Barrett of his lengthy injury. “My dad (Canadian men’s national team general manager Rowan Barrett) told me everything happens for a reason, so just trying to stay positive throughout it all.

“But it felt good to play tonight and help the team win.”

Barrett was averaging 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists when he landed awkwardly from a dunk in a game against the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 23. The non-contact injury didn’t get better as quickly as Barrett or the Raptors’ training staff expected, so he got a platelet-rich plasma injection to speed his recovery.

“After I got that done, been feeling a lot better, started to move more, run around a little bit,” said Barrett. “Just every day, constantly, every day in rehab.

“I want to thank the staff, they really, really helped me a lot, especially those, I feel like, those first couple weeks.”

When healthy, the six-foot-six shooting guard/small forward has been key to Toronto’s offence, slashing to the net for offensive rebounds or when Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram are drawing double teams from opposing defences.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic called Barrett “a stabilizing force” after Sunday’s win.

“He brings a lot offensively, and we need him to step up on the defensive side as well,” said Rajakovic. “I know it’s gonna take a little bit of time for him to find his legs and find his rhythm, but when he’s right, physically and mentally, he is outstanding for us.

“I’m just happy that he was able to come back, even on minute restriction tonight, playing 24 minutes. I thought that he helped us a lot.”

Although Barrett was visibly fatigued in his first shift on the court against the Warriors, he was also clearly working on his cardio during his time on the bench, riding a stationary bike in the players’ tunnel.

Centres Jakob Poeltl (lower back) and Collin Murray-Boyles (illness) missed the game. The Raptors said they would have a more detailed update on Poeltl’s condition ahead of Monday’s game against the visiting Orlando Magic.

Murray-Boyles’s undisclosed illness appears to be a sickness that’s been circulating around the team.

“Running around with Vitamin C and zinc, and with hand sanitizers everywhere, and we’re trying to do everything that’s in our power to stop it from spreading around,” Rajakovic said pre-game on the illness. “We have guys that are under the weather and trying to play through the games, and they’re gonna be there in the huddle, all of us in the huddle.

“I think, the most important thing is making sure that we’re getting proper sleep, proper nutrition, we gotta start with maybe those things.”

Poeltl is averaging 9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists as Toronto’s starting centre. Murray-Boyles is averaging seven points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his rookie season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press