There’s a particular kind of NBA ending that feels like a magic trick: a player does the one thing everyone in the building knows he’s about to do, and it still works because it’s executed perfectly. Late Sunday night in Toronto, Scottie Barnes pulled off one of those endings, not with a stepback three or a chasedown block, but with a free throw that was equal parts nerve and geometry.
In overtime against the Philadelphia 76ers, Barnes was fouled with 0.8 seconds left and the score tied. He stepped to the line, made the first free throw to give the Raptors the lead, then intentionally missed the second, the veteran closer’s move, to burn the final heartbeat of the game and prevent a last-second heave. Game over. Toronto wins, 116–115.
Scottie Barnes PURPOSELY misses his second free throw late in OT as the Raptors take down the Sixers! ✅
(🎥: NBC Philadelphia) pic.twitter.com/54xgGyomGO
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 12, 2026
The sequence was the clean final note on a night that had no business being tidy. Barnes finished with 31 points in the win, while Toronto got critical support from Jamal Shead (22 points) and Immanuel Quickley (20). And yet the ending is what will be replayed because it’s so rare to see that kind of late-game awareness delivered without a hint of panic: score first, then erase time.
The game itself had enough swings to justify overtime in the first place. Philadelphia, led by Tyrese Maxey’s 38 points, put Toronto under pressure late, while both teams were shorthanded. Philadelphia without Joel Embiid and Paul George, Toronto missing RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram. In overtime the Sixers even briefly seized control, but the Raptors steadied themselves, clawed back, and put the ball in Barnes’ hands when it mattered most.
