Gary Trent Jr. Breaks Out, Scottie Barnes Locks Down, & Raptors Eke Out Victory Over Suns

The Toronto Raptors finally got a breakout performance from Gary Trent Jr. as Scottie Barnes' lockdown defense helped Toronto knock off the Phoenix Suns

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors just never let up.

It took a Herculean defensive effort from the Raptors who watched a 16-point third-quarter lead vanish as the offense went silent. But even when the Phoenix Suns pulled ahead late, Toronto didn't quit. Scottie Barnes nabbed a trio of steals of fourth-quarter steals, locking down the Suns who watched a Devin Booker three-pointer miss in the dying seconds as the Raptors eked out a nail-biting 117-112 victory Friday night.

1. Sharpshooting Trent Makes Such a Difference

No matter how bad things got, Gary Trent Jr.'s confidence never wavered.

It's the mark of a good sharpshooter. For better or for worse, it's about having a short memory as Trent showed Friday night. Despite shooting 22.6% from behind the arc since the All-Star break, the 23-year-old knew the tide would eventually turn. And turn it did. After an 0-for-3 start to the game, Trent caught fire. A pull-up three midway through the first quarter got him back on track before he exploded for 13 points in the second quarter.

He picked up right where he left off in the third quarter, pulling Deandre Ayton to the perimeter and nailing another pull-up three over his outstretched arms. Fred VanVleet then found him with a no-look pass to the corner in transition for another three. Even when the Suns began pressuring him with double teams and blitzes, he continued to wiggle free, nailing a clutch three-pointer late in the third to tie things up at 105 en route to a 42 point showing, tying his season-high.

"I don't really consider myself a shooter," said Trent who went 13-for-21 from the floor with eight three-pointers. "I feel like I'm a scorer who can shoot."

The biggest difference, Raptors coach Nick Nurse said, was the spacing playing alongside a healthy Fred VanVleet affords Trent who showed some signs of turning things around in Toronto's victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Ultimately, Trent is just going to be one of those players that looks unstoppable when he's on and unplayable when he's in a funk. It's only when you step back and look at the season as a whole that his numbers even out and the big picture comes into view. In that sense, the Raptors have someone who teams always have to account for behind the arc. Even when he's in a slump, he's willing to let it fly, at least scaring opposing defenses into stretching out to the perimeter and contesting his shots. 

2. Birch Shows Defensive Value Late

It's been a long time since Khem Birch looked as healthy and quick as he did Friday night. He helped Toronto keep its composure late in the fourth quarter, rotating around as the Raptors turned up the pressure and began trapping and blitzing Booker.

"It says a lot because I think he’s clearly the best guy at doing that for us, he’s got some experience in it. It’s not easy, as you can see," Nurse said of Birch's defensive poise. "They split and they reject and go the other way, there’s a lot of stuff happening out there and he got a bunch of good blitzes and he had to cover a lot of ground a couple of times."

Birch continues to battle a nagging knee injury that he says requires 24-7 care and doesn't sound like it's going to get better this season, if ever. 

"With my knee, it’s been tough this year," said Birch whose pressure on Booker forced the Suns into one of their six fourth-quarter turnovers. "In that moment I knew I just have to sacrifice, just do the best I can."

It felt particularly important for Birch who acknowledged his recent play has left a lot to be desired.

"Honestly, I feel like with any other team I probably wouldn’t even be playing right now," he added. "The fact that they just have that type of confidence in me despite all the injuries I’ve had, all the setbacks, and I’m still getting minutes tells a lot about how they feel about me and it gives me a lot of confidence to keep going despite my injury."

3. Achiuwa Is Finding His Way

It's still not always pretty, but Precious Achiuwa has really begun to round out his game recently. It's gone from being chaotic chaos to organized chaos, at least enough to really look impressive for a developing sophomore forward. He looks more decisive with the ball, either taking the three-pointer immediately or putting the ball on the court and driving to the rim with more assertiveness.

"We’re still trying to figure his (game) out. He’s gonna shoot the 3. He’s gonna drive it coast to coast. He’s gonna drive it from the corner. You never know," Nurse said pre-game. "You’ll see a lot of different moves from him from night to night. He’s trying to clean up game and take some rhythm 3s, and when they close up on him they straight line-drives it and makes the next play.”

Achiuwa showed that coast-to-coast flair in the first half, throwing down a monster slam in front of the retreating Aaron Holiday.

.@PreciousAchiuwa GOES COAST-TO-COAST 😤 pic.twitter.com/P92Hsn1rD6

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 12, 2022

Late in the third quarter, he nailed an above-the-break three, making it eight of his last 11 games in which he's hit at least one three-pointer.

"Just to see him be aggressive and do all that stuff makes me proud," Birch said of Achiuwa who led Toronto's bench with 11 points. "He’s a really good young player and he has a lot of potential."

Achiuwa took an unfortunate offensive foul in the fourth quarter, but his offensive game is certainly coming along. He's become far more comfortable with the ball and considering he was almost an afterthought last season with the Heat, it's been a big developmental year for the 22-year-old. 

4. Raptors Always Get Up for Big Games

Maybe it's a good thing that the Raptors always seem to play to their opponent's skill level. It's certainly frustrating when they drop silly games to the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Oklahoma City Thunder, but when the lights are the brightest, Toronto almost always shows up. It was the case earlier in the season when the Raptors gave the Suns everything they had in a nail-biting loss, and it was true again Friday night. 

"It really doesn't matter who we play. We’ve got to go play and we’ve got to play well. And if we do, we're gonna have a chance on any night," Nurse said.

Those bad losses to low-level teams may cost Toronto seeding spots in the playoffs, but there's no doubt the Raptors will show up and give it everything they have in those play-in games no matter who they take the court against.

Up Next: Denver Nuggets

It'll be a quick turnaround for the Raptors who are right back at it Saturday night for a 9 p.m. ET tipoff against the Denver Nuggets.