The Toronto Raptors put up a solid fight but fall short to the Phoenix Suns 120-113.
Grayson Allen got the party started for the Suns as he hit 7 of his 8 three-pointers in the first quarter. Allen was unconscious from behind the arc and the Raptors could not stop him.
He finished the game with 26 points. Bradley Beal had 20 and Kevin Durant led all scorers with 35 points as the Suns held off the Raptors.
Toronto was able to turn the game around after the first quarter. They outscored the Suns 29-23 in third quarter and cut their lead to 3. However, Durant then responded as the Suns put the Raptors away.
Leading the way for Toronto was Gary Trent Jr. who scored 30 points. Immanuel Quickley added 21 points, a career-high 18 assists and 9 rebounds and he was 1 rebound shy of a triple-double. Also, RJ Barrett scored 23. The Raptors have now lost four of five.
The Raptors were shorthanded in this one. They were without All-Star Scottie Barnes, who recently had surgery on his fractured hand. They were also missing Jakob Poeltl who underwent surgery as well to repair a ligament tear in the fifth finger on his left hand. Bruce Brown Jr. missed his third straight game due to right knee inflammation.
With the loss the Raptors are now only 1 game up on the Memphis Grizzlies for the 6th worst record in the NBA. If the Raptors finish the season in the bottom 6 they will have a 45.8 percent chance of keeping their 2024 first-round pick.
There are 19 games left in the season so it will be interesting to see how things play out.
Next on tap
The Raptors four-game road trip continues as they travel to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers.
Both the Raptors and Blazers will come into this game on a two-game losing streak.
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