Raptors Stand Tall in Measuring Stick Game Despite Loss to Suns

The Toronto Raptors held their own against an elite Phoenix Suns group thanks to big-time performances from Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

This was supposed to be a measuring stick game for the Toronto Raptors.

After six straight wins against shorthanded teams, all of whom were either missing their best player, plus or minus the New Orleans Pelicans without Zion Williamson, Toronto finally had a chance to really size itself up against one of the NBA's truly elite teams, a mostly-healthy Phoenix Suns squad.

Well, the Raptors are good, not great, but good, and maybe a little better than expected. Without Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. who were sidelined with lower-body injuries, Toronto hung with Phoenix, giving the Suns everything they could handle. It just wasn't enough in a 99-95 loss at Scotiabank Arena.

"I thought that we answered the call. I thought it was a good test for us. Obviously, we didn't come out with the victory but you appreciate the fight," Fred VanVleet said. "There's a lot of things you could have cleaned up. Didn't shoot the three well enough, left 10 free throws on the board. But, force that team into 20 turnovers, you get 22 offensive rebounds, that sounds like a good night."

Championship teams don't do moral victories, or at least they shouldn't, but the Raptors have to be thrilled with the way they played Tuesday. The consistency off the bench remains an issue, that's for certain, but the stars on this team can certainly play.

"We didn’t shoot the ball well, there’s a lot of things that didn't go our way but we still figured out a way to stay in the game and that's just gonna give us confidence," Chris Boucher said. "We need to play like that against everybody, not against people like that against just the good teams. If we play like that against the bad teams and all that, we’re going to be a good team."

VanVleet didn't miss a beat on the heels of his Player of the Week honors. He went at the Suns' bigs, trying to isolate them before rising up from deep over Deandre Ayton and Jalen Smith to the tune of 21 points.

"I'm not quite sure if there's anyone playing better than him in the East," Suns coach Monty Williams said of VanVleet pre-game.

Siakam continues to play at an All-Star, maybe even an All-NBA level these days. He was once again facilitating for the Raptors, drawing double teams, and kicking out to VanVleet and OG Anunoby for open jumpers. When the doubles didn't come, Siakam repeatedly went at Cameron Payne, trying to attack the Suns' guards in the half-court. His hot stretch continued with 22 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists Tuesday.

"I’m most happy with the two things of his passing and his defense," Nurse said of Siakam. "I think he’s making plays at the other end as well, he’s into the coverages, he’s into the schemes."

Anunoby, who has been quietest of the three lately, came up huge for Toronto with a team-high 25 points including a driving layup to pull the Raptors to within one point late.

The trio combined to score 68 of Toronto's 95 points

Toronto Cleans the Glass 

The key for the Raptors late their otherwordly offensive rebounding skills. Toronto simply outmuscled Phoenix in the paint, grabbing offensive rebounds on seemingly every miss. On one possession, the Raptors scooped up three straight offensive boards before a turnover eventually led to a Bridges layup at the other end.

"It just speaks to the aggressiveness and the compete level that we were able to go and get 22 (offensive rebounds) on them," VanVleet said.

In the fourth quarter alone, Toronto grabbed 12 offensive boards, beating the Suns on the glass by a 59 to 47 margin for the game.

Depth Woes

Yuta Watanabe and Svi Mykhailiuk shot a combined 0-5 from the floor, with Watanabe missing a pair of wide-open three-pointers in his first game back from COVID-19 protocols. Mykhailiuk didn't even see the court in the second half and appears to be on the cusp of falling out of the rotation. Their inability to nail shots has created serious floor-spacing issues for Toronto's bench.

Boucher's Impact Grows

Boucher has done a full 180, turning his season around after a horrible start to the year. He's done it by focusing on his defense and rebounding and allowing his offense to come naturally. He's only averaging 7.3 points per game over his six games prior to Tuesday, but they've been some of his best of the year.

Against the Suns, he packed the box score with 16 rebounds, nine offensive boards, 13 points, and three blocks including a clutch come-from-behind block of Chris Paul late in the fourth.

"Whatever I can do to help the team," he said. "At this point I just want to go out there and play hard and if that’s what the team needs, I’m going to do it."

Booker vs. The Raptor

The Raptor was up to his free throw antics in the fourth quarter and it got in Devin Booker's head a little bit.

Devin Booker just said he’s cool with the Raptor https://t.co/VGTcgRjCbP

— 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞 (@AaronBenRose) January 12, 2022

Their feud was quickly ended post-game as Booker said he's "cool" with the Raptor.

Injury Updates

Nurse didn't seem too concerned about Trent Jr. and Barnes' respective injuries. Trent's ankle seems a little more concerning. His X-Ray and MRI both came back negative and he's going to rehab until the pain subsides. 

Fun Fact

Suns center Bismack Biyombo has only played with one current Raptors player in his career. Want to guess who?

I'll wait...

Khem Birch in Orlando.

Up Next: Detroit Pistons

Dwane Casey is out of COVID-19 protocols and will be ready to go Friday night when the Raptors head to Detroit for a 7 p.m. ET tipoff against the Pistons.