Despite an apparent lack of worry from Suns players, they’ve been struggling recently, and it could be a perfect opportunity for Toronto to capitalize and return to the “win” column.
In the midst of a home stand, the Toronto Raptors will host the Phoenix Suns for their first of two matchups this season. The last three years, they’ve split, with each team taking one win. Toronto will come into this game with both a home court advantage and a rest advantage as Phoenix travels after a win in Chicago last night.
Toronto is coming into this matchup after a challenging overtime loss to Miami. Despite strong performances from Barrett and Quickley, Scottie had an injury scare and only managed to cash in 13 points. Rookies Shead and Walter helped from the bench substantially, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Heat. After a strong second half of January, the Raptors have struggled in February, winning only two games. The loss of Jak to injury hasn’t been helpful, but at times, turnovers, limited scoring, and lacklustre defence are still the biggest issues.
Phoenix has been garnering attention lately as they dropped seven of their last nine and four straight games to opponents in the Western Conference including Houston, San Antonio, Memphis, and Portland. Expectations have been high with their “big three” of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, but so far it’s looking like a failed experiment with a first round exit last year, and falling out of even play-in contention currently this year. They are clearly trying to make changes by trading their big man Nurkic for Cody Martin, but haven’t been able to see how he fits yet due to injury.
The style of basketball that both of these teams play couldn’t be more different. Toronto thrives on cuts, put-backs, and transition play, while Phoenix prefers shooting and screening.
Phoenix’s bread and butter this season seems to be spot up shooting. Ranked second in the league for spot up possessions per game and converting 33 points on those plays, they are efficient and effective, especially from beyond the arc. They also frequently run off-screen actions, ranked third in the league.
To take charge of this game, and to out-play a Phoenix team that still seems to be struggling, Toronto will have to be aggressive defensively. Help defence, communication around screens, and covering open spot-up shooters will be the key to taking this one which could go a long way for their confidence as we creep towards the end of the season.
Where to Watch
Tune into Sportsnet at 6:00 pm ET
Probable Starters
Toronto: RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick, Immanuel Quickley, Orlando Robinson
Phoenix: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Royce O’Neale, Nick Richards, Tyus Jones
Injury Status
Toronto: Ulrich Chomche (Out: Right partial proximal MCL tear), Brandon Ingram (Out: Left ankle sprain), A.J. Lawson (Out: G-League), Jakob Poeltl (Questionable: Right hip pointer)
Phoenix: Cody Martin (Out: Sports hernia)