Raptors Come Up Short Against Suns

While it looks like the days of the Toronto Raptors dominating the Eastern Conference are officially over, the team will have no problem staying in playoff contention the entire season. They are currently sitting in eighth place in the conference standings despite not having any superstar players on the roster. Toronto looked to get their biggest win of the year when they faced off against the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

 First Half

Local Canadian laws banning fans from attending the games has completely ruined any home-court advantage for the Raptors, but this did not stop them from getting off to a blazing start last night. The game was close for most of the first quarter until Toronto went on an 11-point scoring run with only a few minutes left to go. This burst of offense let them take a 31-23 lead into the second quarter.

The Phoenix Suns really upped the defensive pressure in the second quarter. Their ability to win games on offense or defense is why they are the league’s best team right now. Toronto simply had no answers on offense. After only scoring 17 points in the quarter, the Raptors saw their lead shrink to two points at halftime.

 Second Half

The second quarter made it clear that the game was going to be decided on defense. Toronto lost the lead in the early minutes of the third quarter, but they stuck to the gameplan. They refused to let Phoenix go on a big scoring run and slowly fought their way back into the game. The teams traded the lead several times in the final minutes of the third quarter before the buzzer rang with the Raptors leading 71-69.

After playing hard for more than 40 minutes, the Raptors clearly ran out steam late in the final quarter. The lack of depth on the roster was on full display with the players unable to feed off the energy of a loud crowd. Toronto still had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but they were unable to get the shots to fall. They ultimately lost to Phoenix 99-95.

 Final Thoughts

They may not have won, but this was still one of the best games the Raptors have played all season. They will look to keep up the solid play when they play the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.