Raptors beat Triano-led Suns
Lowry, DeRozan lead balanced attack
TORONTO — Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points apiece in the Raptors’ 126-113 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, Toronto’s fourth consecutive win.
Toronto’s all-stars led seven Raptors who scored in double figures. Serge Ibaka finished with 19 points, rookie O.G. Anunoby tied his career high of 16 — including four three-pointers, C.J. Miles added 15, and Jakob Poeltl and Fred Van Vleet scored 13 each. Lowry also had 10 assists on the night.
For the first time in Raptors history, the team allowed zero offensive rebounds.
Devin Booker had 19 points to top Jay Triano’s Suns (9-17).
The Raptors (15-7) led by double digits for most of the night and lit it up for 42 points in the third quarter to take a 97-79 advantage into the fourth.
Despite playing their second game in as many nights, the young Suns went on a 11-2 run to cut 10 points on a three-pointer by Jared Dudley with 8:37 to play. The Suns’ burst was short-lived though, and Van Vleet drained a pair of free throws to follow up a Lowry three-pointer and the Raptors were back up by 18 with 4:49 to play in front of a capacity Air Canada Centre crowd of 19,800 that included Dikembe Mutombo. The NBA hall of famer was in town for Raptors president Masai Ujiri’s “Giant of Africa” event honouring Nelson Mandela on the fourth anniversary of his death.
The game marked the return of Triano, the former Raptors coach and Canadian, who was named the Suns’ interim head coach after Earl Watson was fired just three games into the season.
The Suns, who’ve played on back-to-back nights seven times already this season, were coming off a 115-101 win at Philadelphia on Monday. T.J. Warren, who’d had 25 points against Philly, picked up two technicals Tuesday and was ejected in the third quarter.
Lowry had three three-pointers as part of a 13-point performance in the first quarter, and the Raptors took a 17-point lead on a driving reverse layup by Norman Powell with 33 seconds left in the frame. Toronto took a 36-23 advantage into the second.
The Suns used an 11-2 run to pull to within six points late in the first half, and Toronto led 55-46 at the break. DeRozan led the way with 12 points in the Raptors’ red-hot third quarter.
The Raptors play their next four games on the road, starting Friday in Memphis. They’ll play at Sacramento, Los Angeles (Clippers), and Phoenix before returning home to host Brooklyn on Dec. 15.