Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors' 117-112 win over the Phoenix Suns.
One — The Raptors recorded one of their most impressive wins of the season by closing out a resilient Suns team on the road. The big caveat is that Chris Paul was missing, and so too was bench sparkplug Cam Johnson, but the Raptors have played the Suns tough for several seasons now and were able to hold the advantage for most of the night. Toronto's size and athleticism across the board made it difficult for Phoenix to establish anything down low, and while Devin Booker was money on jumpers while Cameron Payne was slithering to the rim, the Raptors managed to carve out a sizeable lead before closing out strong with their defence at the end.
Two — Toronto's defence in crunch time was outstanding. Nick Nurse made the decision to aggressively trap Booker in the final moments, trusting in Fred VanVleet and Khem Birch to pressure the ball without fouling against Booker, who is always thirsty for the last shot. It resulted in three-straight turnovers while the game was tied, which put the Raptors up six points. Then, after two poor offensive possessions where the Suns recorded blocks to spark the break, the Raptors managed to force an airball, record another steal, and then hurried Booker on an ambitious 30-foot attempt at tying the game. Scottie Barnes was front and centre in that stretch with three steals and a breakaway dunk, but the flawless execution from VanVleet and Birch set up the whole sequence.
Three — Gary Trent Jr. is officially out of his shooting slump. Trent Jr. bounced back in a big way, recording his third 40-point game since joining the Raptors last season, and accounting for half of the Raptors' scoring in the fourth quarter. He nailed a baseline pull-up over the shorter Payne, flared behind an off-ball screen for his eighth triple to tie the game after the Suns briefly led, and was a perfect 4-for-4 when the Suns went into intentional fouling at the end. Trent Jr.'s scoring was badly needed on a night where the Suns were fairly effective in limiting Siakam and VanVleet's scoring, but such is the importance of a third option.
Four — Siakam was the main initiator and recorded 10 assists in yet another near-triple double performance. His dimes were quite varied, as he found five different teammates for a variety of different finishes. At first it was the interior passing to Barnes as they connected on an alley-oop and a midrange jumper off a kick-out. Then it was a transition feed to Chris Boucher cutting hard to the basket, another big-to-big pass to Khem Birch on a duck-in, and a pick-and-pop sequence with Precious Achiuwa. The remainder were setups to the hot hand in Trent Jr., who was lethal coming off curls and in transition. Siakam's ability to facilitate was huge since VanVleet was having an off-night.
Five — Siakam is slowly reintroducing the three-pointer to his shot diet. It's not a make-or-break shot for him because he's proven to be very effective without the long ball, but he is capable of knocking them down and the shot is always available for him. His two makes were at the end of the first and third quarters, where Siakam recognized that there was not enough time to make the play in the paint, and opted to fire from deep. With OG Anunoby still sidelined, there is a need for three-point shooting on the wing, and with Barnes showing renewed vigour in attacking the basket, there will be easy kick-out chances where Siakam should feel free to fire.
Six — This was a game where Barnes' defensive instincts matched his defensive tools. He recorded five steals and two blocks, including three steals in the last two minutes to clinch the win. Some of that is a team effort since it was the trapping from VanVleet and Birch that put the Suns into tight spaces, but Barnes was perfectly positioned each time to scoop the ball and make a play.
His fifth steal was pure genius. Barnes was at the three-point line when Booker's hopeful jumper went up, and in a split second, he read that it was going to be an airball, that Mikal Bridges was going to catch the miss but that his momentum would take him out, and that his bailout pass would have been to Deandre Ayton under the rim, so he rushed in and stepped between the two right in time for the steal. The blocks were incredible too, as he chased down JaVale McGee on a dunk at the basket, and broke up a lob pass to Ayton. Keep in mind that a player who can run the point is also meeting 7-footers at the summit.
Seven — Barnes continues to be aggressive on offence. He was willing and eager to step into jumpers both from the midrange and from three which was encouraging, but he also did so in moderation, with the awareness that he is most dangerous in the post. Barnes' off-ball movement was timely and came with purpose which allowed Siakam to find him, but he was also looking for his own shots. After a timeout, the Raptors gave the ball to Barnes in the post against Booker, and while Booker tried to shove him and get physical, Barnes simply overwhelmed him, got to his spot, and banked it in. There's no reason why the Raptors couldn't post him up at least once per quarter. With how many bigs the Raptors play at once, there's bound to be instances where Barnes is being checked by guards and wings.
Eight — Birch was clutch at the end with his defence and with his hustle to win a tip-in with under two minutes to go. He was also refreshingly honest in his personal assessment in the post-game interview. "I feel like on any other team I probably wouldn't even be playing right now. The fact that they have confidence in me despite all the injuries, all the setbacks, and I'm still getting minutes says a lot about how they feel about me," Birch said. It's important context that while Birch's performances have been below standard, the reason for it is because he's dealt with a lingering knee injury (he's wearing a huge brace under his tights) and because he's been in and out of the lineup.
Nine — It's a consistent theme to see Precious Achiuwa explode for short periods. He was excellent to start the game, knocking down a mid-range jumper off a tip-out from Boucher, and then taking it coast-to-coast for a dunk without needing a dribble inside the three-point line. He also nailed a key three and was fouled hard on a flagrant tackle by Booker in transition, but he cashed in on both free throws. There are still moments where he overdoes it, such as when he takes four or five dribbles trying to back someone down in the post, but the talent is there and his growing confidence is a good sign. His defensive impact is already enormous, and the skillset to score will show with more guidance and repetitions.
Ten — The Suns threw a curveball at the Raptors in the fourth quarter with former fan favourite Bismack Biyombo checking into the game in a two-center lineup. Biyombo's defence confused Siakam and blocked his path to the basket, while Biyombo also swatted Barnes and converted his chances on offence. The Suns eventually took him out to close, but his reemergence in Phoenix has been a fantastic story. An even better story is Biyombo's decision to donate his entire salary this season towards building a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo in honour of his father. Biyombo is beloved everywhere he goes, not only for his defence and intensity, but for the generosity of his heart.
