We’re already down to 20 games remaining.
Phoenix, Portland, Denver and Detroit are the four stops on this road trip. One of the best Raptor wins of the season came at the expense at the Suns back in November. Kevin Durant was held to an inefficient 30 points on 11-30 shooting and Devin Booker was even worse at 2-12. Booker will be sidelined for this game, but all recent reports indicate that Bradley Beal will be good to go. Beal missed the first game in Toronto.
Raptors scope: 23-39, 12th in East | Offensive Rating: 20th (113.6) | Defensive Rating: 24th (117.4)
Phoenix isn’t New Orleans, so things should be a bit better.
The Raptors are coming off their worst home defeat in franchise history, losing to the Pelicans by 41 points. The rest of the season should be used to evaluate the growth of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick. Gradey shot 0-5 from three on Tuesday, snapping a 12-game streak with at least one trey. Shooters shoot though!
For this game specifically, Jusuf Nurkic will be a problem on the glass. He had a team record 31 rebounds (13 offensive) against the Thunder on Sunday. If Ochai Agbaji is unavailable to take a crack at defending Kevin Durant, that matchup will also be an adventure.
Suns scope: 36-26, 6th in West | Offensive Rating: 12th (117.0) | Defensive Rating: 12th (114.1)
Phoenix is considered by many to be a dark horse candidate to come out of the West playoffs. However the consistency hasn’t been there. The Suns big three have only played a handful of games together. Phoenix also owns the worst point differential in the fourth quarter by far (-199). And they still don’t have a legitimate point guard that could help in fourth quarter, half court offence type scenarios.
KD showed why he is still one of the best scorers in the world against the defending champs on Tuesday. After going ice cold in the fourth and allowing Denver to erase a 22 point deficit, Durant forced overtime and then took over in the extra frame. He hit an array of shots, primarily over a very good defender in Aaron Gordon.
That was special and a much needed win for a Suns team that is hanging onto the sixth seed for dear life. Sacramento is a half game behind. Unless Phoenix goes on a tear to end the season, the Suns will be on the road to begin the playoffs. Staying out of the Play-In Tournament against other West teams that can create chaos is critical.
Game Info
Tip-Off: 9pm EST | TV: Sportsnet 1, 4K | Radio: TSN Radio 1050
Raptors Lineup
Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl (finger surgeries) are both out indefinitely. Bruce Brown (knee) is out. So is Mouhamadou Gueye and Jahmi’us Ramsey. Ochai Agbaji (knee) is questionable.
PG: Immanuel Quickley, Javon Freeman-Liberty, D.J. Carton
SG: Gary Trent Jr, Gradey Dick
SF: RJ Barrett, Jordan Nwora, Jalen McDaniels, Garrett Temple
PF: Ochai Agbaji, Bruce Brown, Chris Boucher
C: Kelly Olynyk, Jontay Porter
Suns Lineup
Devin Booker (ankle), Josh Okogie (abdomen) and Nassir Little (knee) are all out. Damion Lee (knee) hasn’t played all season.
PG: Bradley Beal, Saben Lee
SG: Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon,
SF: Royce O’Neale, David Roddy
PF: Kevin Durant, Bol Bol, Thaddeus Young
C: Jusuf Nurkic, Drew Eubanks, Udoka Azubuike
The Line
Phoenix is favoured by 10.5 points. Makes sense missing Scottie and Jakob for an extended period and coming off an utter embarrassment against the Pels.
