Plucky Suns test Raptors’ mettle but nifty adjustments lead to fifth-straight win.
Game story
The Toronto Raptors narrowly escaped with a 104-100 victory over the Phoenix Suns before a raucous home crowd on Monday night.
Jonas Valanciunas finished as the high scorer on the night with 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field. Guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan chipped in with 14 and 23 points apiece, while reigning Eastern conference player of the week Lou Williams remained hot, pouring in 17 points of his own.
Preview | Quick Reaction | Highlights
The game opened with Toronto opting to exploit their size advantage in the post, specifically through Valanciunas. The 7-foot Lithuanian had his way with Phoenix’s small front-court, managing to goad Suns center Miles Plumlee into foul trouble just two minutes into the contest. Plumlee’s backup Alex Len fared no better, as the Raptors chose to repeatedly attack through Valanciunas. He finished the quarter with 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting, while the Raptors held a three-point advantage into the second.
With Valanciunas needing a breather, Williams continued the onslaught for the Raptors. He torched the Suns with a series of shots off pick-and-roll action. He scored nine points in five minutes in the second, helping to offset the Suns’ bench pairing of Gerald Green and Isaiah Thomas, who kept the Suns afloat while their teammates weathered a cold spell. Having won both quarters, the Raptors held a six-point edge going into the half.
The third quarter started much like the first. Valanciunas resumed his dominance in the post, connecting on all three of his shots on the quarter. Defensively, the Raptors were able to hold the Suns to just 1-of-7 shooting from 3-point range thanks to tighter defensive rotations. By shutting down the perimeter, the Suns were forced into settling for their second option, which was to attack the hoop. The trade-off with the Raptors’ aggressive perimeter defense came at the expense of conceding the rim, leading to the Suns sinking 5-of-7 shots in the restricted area. However, the defense in the aggregate was solid, as the Raptors limited Phoenix to just 18 points, helping to balloon their lead to fifteen points heading into the final frame.
Desperate for options, Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek opted to field a small-ball lineup in hopes of sparking a run. Led by point guard Eric Bledsoe, the Suns’ five-out attack flummoxed the Raptors’ defenders. The Suns’ surplus of speed and shooting was particularly effective against the Raptors’ slower defenders, namely Chuck Hayes and Greivis Vasquez. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey countered with a small-ball lineup of his own, swapping out various bigs at center, before finally settling on the right one in Patrick Patterson.
Ultimately, the Suns managed to take a one-point lead late thanks to their hot shooting from beyond. The Suns managed to connect on 7-of-10 triples. Phoenix’s attack was spearheaded by Bledsoe’s ability to consistently generate penetration, resulting in either layups or kickouts to open shooters.
However, with the game on the line, Lowry was able to come up with a series of key decisive plays to ensure the victory for Toronto. With the Suns trailing by two, Lowry managed to poke the ball loose from Thomas’s hands, then proceeded to tie up Thomas to generate a jump-ball, which he managed to win. The change of possession forced the Suns into fouling DeRozan, who sunk both free-throws, which effectively sealed the victory for Toronto.
The win snaped the Suns’ four-game winning streak, and pushed the Raptors to a league-best 12-2 record.
Play breakdown
Valanciunas’s decisiveness
Valanciunas’s early dominance was mostly a product of his size advantage, but his quick decision making factored in as well. The Suns are a help-conscious team, readily willing to commit help defenders where needed. However, Valanciunas’s decisiveness allowed him to preserve advantageous 1-on-1 matchups, leading to scores like the following.
In the play below, Valanciunas catches the pass and doesn’t hesitate, putting up his shot before Bledsoe could rotate over.
DeRozan’s improving defense
DeRozan has historically shown to be a poor defender, but he has made strides in each of the last two seasons. Although DeRozan mostly conserves his energy to deliver on offense, he has also shown the ability to be productive defensively when his shot isn’t falling. With Valanciunas handling much of the offense in the first half, DeRozan shifted into gear against Goran Dragic, who ended the game shooting just 3-of-9.
On the play below, DeRozan stays with Dragic all the way on his drive, using his feet to slide into position while keeping his hands up high. He leans on Dragic’s dominant left hand, and takes away the drive, forcing Dragic into making an errant pass to the corner.
Vasquez’s continued struggles
It’s no secret that backup point guard Greivis Vasquez has gotten off to a slow start. Many have pointed to the introduction of Williams into the backcourt as the reason for Vasquez’s struggles, but there are other, more obvious factors at play. Vasquez looks even slower than he was a season ago, and his wild decision making has ventured from creative to crazy.
Vasquez was once a staple of the Raptors’ fourth quarter units, but he was pulled in favor of Williams against Phoenix, perhaps due to questionable decisions like the the one below. For the record, that’s a behind-the-back pass, in traffic, to a poor finisher in Chuck Hayes. Vasquez compounded his struggles by shooting just 1-of-6 on the night.
Quote of the game
Valanciunas says he’s a fighter. “Like Mike Tyson” (his shirt), he’s asked. “Not like that, but pretty much the same.” Wut?
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) November 25, 2014
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY
