Suns bounce back, upend Raptors
Phoenix’s latest win
Wednesday came after one of worst days in the history of America.
Hours before beating
Toronto, 123-115, at home,
President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. in protest of the electoral votes being counted to complete the election process as President-elect
Joe Biden is scheduled for official inauguration Jan.
20.
“I think for all of us that go home after shootaround and take a quick nap, when you wake up, you’re not expecting to wake up to that,” Suns coach Monty Williams said.
The Suns and Raptors locked arms in center court before the game at Phoenix Suns Arena to show unity and symbolize how life should be in America.
“We just wanted to show our unity together because at the end of the day, we all stand together,” Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry.
It was a moving moment, but between the rioting at Capitol Hill, no charges filed against a White police officer who shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back and the highest death total for any day in any country during the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday, it’s all been overwhelming for many.
“This is real life,” Suns point guard Chris Paul said. “These are things that are occurring on a daily basis and it affects not only us, but it affects our family members and everyone. It’s tough. I
say this all the time. When we play a game, that’s the game. Nobody every leaves the arena with their uniform on. So when we leave, I leave the arena every game as a black man. That’s that and we’ll all continue to try to work together and figure some of this out.”
Congress has since affirmed Biden’s victory as the nation’s next president, but Wednesday’s events left disturbing memories.
So many things are happening that’s bigger than basketball, but Phoenix (6-2) is having its best start since the 2009-10 season when it last made the playoffs.
The Suns begin at three-game road trip Friday at Detroit (1-7). Here’s a look back at their win over the slumping Raptors (1-7) and ahead to their matchup with the Pistons.
Player of the game: Devin Booker
All five starters reached double figures with Jae Crowder hitting 6-of-9 shots from 3 in scoring 21 points and Deandre Ayton posting a double-double of 11 points and 16 boards.
As a team, Phoenix shot 21-of-40 from distance.
Cam Johnson and Dario Saric combined for 31 points off the bench while Cameron Payne had10 assists in16 minutes.
As much as it was a team effort, Booker led a third-quarter surge that enabled Phoenix to build a 96-87 lead going into the fourth. He scored 15 of his team-high 24 point in the quarter, hitting 3-of-5 from 3 and going 6-of-6 from the line.
When he’s getting to the stripe,
Booker is a different player.
Booker added six assists and only had one turnover in 34 minutes after having at least six in four of Phoenix’s first six games. He had just two turnovers in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers as well as a season-high eight assists.
Pistons see 2018-19 Suns in them
Detroit came into the season rebuilding, but had reasons for optimism.
Blake Griffin returned after having season-ending knee surgery in January of last year.
The Pistons added Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee and Josh Jackson and drafted point guard Killian Hayes out of France.
Then the season started.
Eight games into it, they’re 1-7, which is the same start Phoenix had two seasons ago in finishing with the secondworst record in franchise history.
That gives coach Dwane Casey hope for the future.
“Phoenix was in the exact same situation we’re in,” Casey said. “Growing. Developing. Those guys have had a chance to grow. (Mikal) Bridges, (Deandre) Ayton, they’ve all had a chance to grow and now you add a guy like Chris Paul to that group, now they’re taking off.”
While Phoenix went into Thursday’s games tied with defending champion Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the Western Conference, Detroit is clearly rebuilding.
“Are we going out there trying? Hell yes,” Casey said. “That’s why you put the uniform on. You’re going out to compete to win, but at the same time, the underlying factor is growth and improvement in all areas.”
Defensive mindset
Jae Crowder said before Wednesday’s game the Suns want to be the NBA’s top defensive team.
Then they allowed a season-high 115 points against the one-win Raptors after giving up 112 in a loss to the Clippers, who led by as many as 31.
Phoenix is fifth in the league in defensive rating, but was higher just last week.