With the return of All-Star DeMar Derozan, and a return to the friendly confines of the Air Canada Centre on the horizon, the Toronto Raptors will face their final test on the World Junior road trip when they take on the Phoenix Suns.
The last time these two teams met on November 24th in Toronto, the Raptors were able to dominate the Suns for the first three quarters of the game and subsequently weathered a serious fourth quarter run to claim victory. This meeting, a month and a half later, now has deeper implications for both sides. With their latest loss and the shocking recent dominance of the Atlanta Hawks have relinquished the top spot in the parity ridden East. The Suns, with far more on the line, at a mark of 19-16 are holding for dear life in the 8th playoff spot in the West with the Anthony Davis led Pelicans and the Thunder at full strength breathing down their necks.
The Suns are very similar in style to the Raptors. Both teams rely heavily on their dynamic guards for a bulk of their scoring, and both are heavy proponents of “small ball.” With that being said, let’s look at Cage’s keys to a Raptors victory.
Cage’s keys to the game:
Outclass on the glass
A lot has been made about the Raptors tendency to allow too many second chance points. However tonight, they have the ability to turn the tables. The Suns are 28th in the NBA allowing offensive boards. The Raptors, who are 11th in grabbing them need to dig deep and find the energy in their road weary legs in order to make the Suns pay dearly for not boxing out. The onus will be on Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson, and the NBA’s littlest big man Kyle Lowry to bring the intensity and capitalize on second change opportunities.
Just hold on… not home yet
With an extremely favourable home stand on the horizon, and with the news that they will be accompanied by DeRozan, it may be easy for the Raptors to have visions of another stretch of dominance, but they cannot look past the Suns. The team needs to come out and set the tone early, and maintain the energy for a full 48.
Move the ball
While Phoenix may be similar to Golden State in the sense that both can light it up from beyond the arc, the Suns defence, unlike that of the Warriors, is absolutely porous. The Suns are allowing less points to only the Timberwolves and Lakers, and allow an average of 45% opponent field goal percentage. The Raptors, who are scoring at a torrid pace need to feast. They should look to limit the amount of ISO’s and look to make the extra pass in order to stretch the Suns out in order to optimize their offensive opportunities. If Greivis Vasquez can bring the same level of play and Lou Williams can consistently hit the open looks he has missed the last two games, the Raptors could be in a great position tonight
What are they made of?
The Raptors rarely ever lose back to back and they never get blown out. However both situations became reality in Oakland Friday night. The old John Wooden saying goes, “sports don’t build character, they reveal it” and that is exactly what is going to happen tonight with the Raptors. How will they respond to being simply outclassed and embarrassed by the Warriors? History, and the resilient nature of this core suggest they will come out flying. Tune in.
X-Factor: James Johnson
The Suns are 4th in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage. The Raptors have struggled mightily in guarding the arc, and tonight, the Raptors will face a barrage of players who make their living from deep. The team will need a huge defensive effort from the Johnson who last season led the league in blocked 3-point attempts. Applying pressure to the Morris twins and perennial 6th man of the year candidate Gerald Green will be key in keeping the Suns fluid offence at bay.
