Field Level Media
14 Jan 2022, 01:10 GMT+10
A six-game winning streak for the Toronto Raptors was snapped on Tuesday. They'll look to begin a new one at the front end of a five-game road swing, which begins in Detroit on Friday.
Phoenix, which owns the league's best record, edged the Raptors 99-95 in an empty arena due to COVID restrictions in Canada. The Raptors will see plenty of fans on their eight-day journey.
Toronto's point total against the Suns was its lowest since scoring 90 points in a victory over the New York Knicks on Dec. 10. The Raptors led by one until Devin Booker hit a mid-range jumper with 1:07 left. A Chris Paul basket gave Phoenix a three-point lead and six free throws in the last 6.5 seconds ended Toronto's streak.
"That's probably as good as it gets without a crowd in there," guard Fred VanVleet said. "They certainly raised their level. There's a reason why they have the best record in the NBA; it's because they play that way every night. I thought that we answered the call. I thought it was a good test for us. Obviously, we didn't come out with the victory, but you appreciate the fight."
VanVleet has been on a scoring tear, averaging 29.6 points in the last nine games. The Suns held him to 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting.
"It was a physical game, kind of slow-paced and grinding," Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. "I thought they were definitely trying to out-physical us and we hung in there really good. It could probably have gone either way."
The Raptors were missing fourth-leading scorer Gary Trent Jr. (16.4 points per game) and fifth-leading scorer Scottie Barnes (14.7) due to injuries.
"We didn't have Scottie, we didn't have Gary -- those are two big pieces for us -- but we hung in there," forward Chris Boucher said. "We didn't shoot the ball well. There's a lot of things that didn't go our way, but we still figured out a way to stay in the game."
The Pistons were blown out by Chicago 133-87 on Tuesday, one night after rallying from a 22-point deficit to defeat Utah 126-116. The Bulls outscored them 72-35 in the second half. In Detroit's last three losses, the margins have been 29, 30 and 46 points.
"We have to learn how to play with success," coach Dwane Casey said. "This team was talking about how we beat Utah the night before, so they came out ready to play."
Casey was back on the bench in Chicago after a false positive forced him to miss the comeback against the Jazz, when the Pistons scored 78 second-half points. The offensive execution fell apart against the Bulls, the team with the Eastern Conference's best record.
Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey, who each scored 29 points against the Jazz, were held to a combined 22 points.
"Their physicality got to us," Casey said. "This team was quicker with their switching, but it wasn't anything we hadn't seen. We were just a half a step late, slow -- whatever you want to call it -- in everything we did."
Detroit won its first meeting with Toronto 127-121 on Nov. 13. The Pistons will visit Canada on March 3.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Arizona Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Arizona Herald.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks diverged on Wednesday for the second day in a row. The Standard and Poor's 500 hit a new all-time...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...
KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan, long associated with war and instability, is quietly trying to rebrand itself as a destination for...
SANTA CLARA, California: Executives at Nvidia have quietly been cashing in on the AI frenzy. According to a report by the Financial...
NEW YORK, New York - Global stock indices closed with divergent performances on Tuesday, as investors weighed corporate earnings, central...
TORONTO, Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced late on June 29 that trade negotiations with the U.S. have recommenced...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed Elon Musk's success has been built on government subsidies. Without...
DOVER, Delaware: California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken legal aim at Fox News, accusing the network of deliberately distorting...
by Xinhua writers Yao Yuan and Cheng Yunjie HEFEI, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Residents of Hefei say the city has two suns -- one suspends...
Michael Hull Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking an in-depth look at the Bengals' 2025 opponents. Next up, the...
CHARLOTTE Now that it's July, we're officially in the ramp-up to training camp and the start of the 2025 season. So now's a good...
Outside linebacker tied for sack lead last season Zach Gershman WhenElliott Brownwas playing football in another country, the destination...