Phoenix — In a season built on believing in process over outcomes, the Phoenix Suns are currently in a results-oriented situation. To avoid the play-in, they must win, regardless of how they get there.
After trudging through the muck of Tuesday’s stunning victory against the Denver Nuggets, they did enough fundamentally to defeat the Toronto Raptors 120-113 on Thursday night.
“I enjoyed what we did. “Made shots, moved the ball, 29 assists—pretty fantastic,” Suns forward Kevin Durant said. “[16] turnovers might have been better. I had two too many, but we did move the ball, shooting 50-40-90 virtually. “A solid game.”
This was a must-win game for the Suns, who were playing at home against possibly the worst club they will face the rest of the season without Devin Booker (right ankle sprain).
The Raptors (23-40) are 8-15 since selling Pascal Siakam in mid-January, a good record for an offensive rating that was 25th coming into Thursday and No. 27 defensively over that time. During that time, they lost Scottie Barnes (left hand fracture) and Jakob Poeltl (left finger rip) to long-term injuries, while Bruce Brown (left knee inflammation) was also out.
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Toronto made this seem like a battle throughout, thanks to points off turnovers (27 to Phoenix’s 16) and trading back on the 3-point line (16-15 edge), despite the Suns jumping out to a 19-point lead in the opening quarter. It even reduced the deficit to three late in the third quarter.
Toronto made this seem like a battle throughout, thanks to points off turnovers (27 to Phoenix’s 16) and trading back on the 3-point line (16-15 edge), despite the Suns jumping out to a 19-point lead in the opening quarter. It even reduced the deficit to three late in the third quarter.
Jusuf Nurkic picked up his fifth foul in the midst of it, but Drew Eubanks’ key plays in his absence helped Phoenix avoid any controversy. Nurkic would not need to re-enter the game.
“I believed we had good momentum. “I thought our defense was great, and we were able to get some good shots on the other end,” Durant said. “It’s simply about playing through everything, being resilient, and knowing that teams will make a run.”
This, like Tuesday, was a triumph with Grayson Allen and Nurkic’s fingerprints all on it.
Instead, Allen and Nurkic have been revelations, having career-best years in terms of their contribution to victory. Nassir Little, who was a favorite aspect of the deal according to some pundits, hasn’t played much this year due to knee difficulties. It has made absolutely no difference.
Fans have rightfully been skeptical of the front office’s performance, given that this is expected to be a team atop the Western Conference, comparable to the Nuggets. Even if Ayton played at the same level he did in Phoenix for Portland, the trade significantly improved the franchise’s future.
“I don’t know what I would do,” Allen remarked, laughing. “I’m sure there are analytics geeks out there crunching the data on Kev’s post-ups versus him passing the ball out and us scoring threes. I believe it eventually becomes matchup dependant. It’s about how confident they are and whether they have someone who can guard Kev one-on-one, guard the ball screen up top 2-on-2, or if you need to bring in a third defender.
Speaking of which, Durant delivered a much more conventional performance following some minor setbacks during the All-Star break. When he was doubled, his possession quality improved, and he shot well in 1-on-1 situations. He finished with 35 points, two rebounds, one assist, and four turnovers on 11-of-19 shooting.
“You have to pick something, and when we’re clicking offensively and doing well, regardless of the read, we get excellent shots.”
Speaking of which, Durant delivered a much more conventional performance following some minor setbacks during the All-Star break. When he was doubled, his possession quality improved, and he shot well in 1-on-1 situations. He finished with 35 points, two rebounds, one assist, and four turnovers on 11-of-19 shooting.
Royce O’Neale continued to dominate the stat sheet, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block.
Beal finished with an efficient 20 points, eight assists, and two turnovers. Durant said that Beal has taken on a “typical point guard” position since Booker’s injury, while head coach Frank Vogel commended Beal for organizing the squad.
Royce O’Neale continued to dominate the stat sheet, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block.
Beal finished with an efficient 20 points, eight assists, and two turnovers. Durant said that Beal has taken on a “typical point guard” position since Booker’s injury, while head coach Frank Vogel commended Beal for organizing the squad.
