The Phoenix Suns, perhaps buoyed by a surprising win in Philadelphia, faced the Raptors with high hopes. Toronto took an early lead, and despite a few stumbles, never gave it up.
The Toronto Raptors have have only one fly in their ointment so far this season, and that has been their bizarre inability to show up in the third quarter. Those two stomach-turning losses against the Knicks and Pacers were Exhibits A and B. They also sleep-walked through the Charlotte game after the intermission, at one point being outscored 17-2.
So when a feisty Phoenix Suns team refused to quit in Q2 after being outplayed in Q1, Toronto fans were worried another lead was going to disappear. Relax, all. The Raptors piled up 42 points in the third quarter, and the Suns were never closer than nine points till the final buzzer.
Phoenix’s kids were long on effort, but short on self-control. They managed four technical fouls, including a pair by secondary scoring threat T.J. Warren in Q3, which resulted in his hasty exit from the game. He was perhaps frustrated by Kyle Lowry, who wiped out two Warren buckets by drawing charging fouls.
Lowry’s contributions were not limited to smart defense. He enjoyed another double-double performance, with 20 points and 10 assists. DeMar DeRozan looks comfortable in his occasional forays as point guard. He handed out 8 dimes, and matched his BFF Lowry in points.
More from Raptors Rapture
- Scottie Barnes talks Raptors expectations after bumpy 2022-23
- Raptors’ Dennis Schroder completes Cinderella story, wins FIBA World Cup with Germany
- 3 players Raptors could replace OG Anunoby with at trade deadline
- NBA insider praises Raptors’ hiring of “star” Darko Rajakovic
- Raptors fans will love Markquis Nowell’s insane confidence on Instagram
If you had told me before the tip OG Anunoby will make four 3-balls to elite scorer Devin Booker’s one, I would have said two things: I don’t believe you AND the Raptors will win. Our rookie did have an accurate night beyond the arc, missing only once. Booker played his heart out, but his legs weren’t co-operating. He had to be carried off the court in Q4 with a suspected groin injury. That’s the most common muscle to fail due to overuse. This was the Suns’ sixth straight road game (and a back to back), so fatigue was surely a factor.
Final thoughts
Once again Jonas Valanciunas played fewer minutes than his backup Jakob Poeltl. JV didn’t manage a basket, though his defense looked sound. Defensively Serge Ibaka had the most dramatic night with three blocked shots (he had four, but one was called a goal-tend, much to the consternation of anyone with functioning eyeballs). He more than chipped in on offense with 19 points.
The second unit didn’t provide the huge results we’ve grown used to. Norman Powell in particular had a night to forget, with four turnovers and a shocking minus_14. However, CJ Miles and Fred VanVleet kept things interesting. CJ needed only 18+ minutes to score 15 points, while Fred had 6 assists.
The Raptors hit the road again for four games against the West, starting Friday in Memphis.