Travel taking a toll on Toronto Raptors

The rigours of an 82-game season and all the travel that comes with it are catching up to the Toronto Raptors.

TORONTO – The rigours of an 82-game season and all the travel that comes with it are catching up to the Toronto Raptors.

Scottie Barnes had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists as Toronto came out flat in a 123-89 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The Raptors had just returned from a four-game West Coast swing and immediately left for Washington, D.C., after the game to face the Wizards on Monday, the first of two away games.

“They came out there and punched us in the mouth,” said Barnes of the Spurs. “But we’ve got a game tomorrow. That’s the best thing about the NBA.

“We’ve got another game tomorrow where we can go out there and try to prove ourselves again.”

Barnes reached 2,000 rebounds in his career on Sunday, achieving the milestone in 267 games. He is the fastest player in franchise history to have more than 2,000 rebounds and over 1,000 assists.

“I’m just trying to play to win, no matter what,” said Barnes. “Everything that I do out there on the floor is specifically just trying to win, trying to do my best out there, trying to do anything that’s possible.”

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 18 points and seven rebounds after he missed three of Toronto’s four games on the road. Rookie Ja’Kobe Walter came off the bench for 10 points after he missed seven games with a right hip flexor.

Head coach Darko Rajakovic said that managing his team’s practice time was a challenge after it played in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.