Raptors advance to knockout round of NBA Cup with dominant 140-110 win over Wizards

Toronto Raptors' Scottie Barnes (4) shoots over Washington Wizards' Cam Whitmore (1) during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto, on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

Brandon Ingram had 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Toronto Raptors routed the Washington Wizards 140-110 on Friday to advance in the Emirates NBA Cup.

The Raptors win over Washington coupled with the Indiana Pacers’ 120-109 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier in the night clinched Toronto’s spot in the knockout rounds of the in-season tournament.

It’s the first time the Raptors have advanced beyond the NBA Cup’s group stage. They are the first team to clinch a spot this season.

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., scored 24 points and pulled down eight rebounds as Toronto (11-5) won its sixth straight game. Scottie Barnes added 23 points, including 14 in the third quarter.

Reserve centre Sandro Mamukelashvili had 23 points and pulled down seven boards for the Raptors.

CJ McCollum’s 20-point performance led the Wizards (1-14), who dropped their 13th consecutive decision.

Tre Johnson came off the bench with 14 points and Swiss-Canadian forward Kyshawn George had five points, four assists and three rebounds.

Both teams rested their starters with over four minutes left to play.

Takeaways

Wizards: McCollum was the only member of Washington’s starting five to reach double digits of scoring. Indeed, as the game got out of hand Wizards head coach Brian Keefe relied on his bench more, with Washington’s reserves outscoring the starters 70-40.

Raptors: The game was relatively close at the intermission, with Toronto holding a 57-47 lead after two quarters. The Raptors blew the game open in the third, outscoring the Wizards 48-30 in that period alone, thanks to Barnes’s 14-point outburst in the quarter.

Key moment

Washington swingman Bilal Coulibaly’s dunk in the first minute of play was the first basket of the game. The Raptors reeled off 11-consecutive points in reply and never relinquished that lead.

Key stat

Toronto was dominant beyond the arc, shooting 14 for 29 (48.3 per cent) and limiting the Wizards to 12-for-41 (29.3 per cent) three-point shooting.

Up next

Toronto: The Raptors continue their homestand on Sunday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.

Washington: The Wizards travel to Chicago to face the Bulls on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press