The Phoenix Suns faced the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, and for most of the game, you felt good about where things stood. Phoenix held the lead through most of the second quarter, the entire third quarter, and the majority of the fourth. The problem arrived late. Toronto did not take the lead until the final 2:34 of the game.
You can talk about shot diet if you want, although the bigger issue came on the defensive end. The Raptors went 14-of-22 from the field in the fourth quarter. That is 63.6%.
Teams do not win many games when the opponent scores 36 points in the final period. Phoenix finished the quarter 8-of-18 from the field and produced only 23 points.
The contrast inside the paint told the real story. While the Suns were putting up 23 points total, the Raptors scored 20 points in the paint alone during that stretch. There is plenty to unpack there. The Suns leaned into a small lineup, and Toronto took full advantage. The Raptors looked at the floor, saw the lack of size, and went straight to the interior. Possession after possession, they attacked the rim. From Toronto’s perspective, it probably felt like a gift.
Jordan Ott put the lineup out there, and the Raptors said thank you. They accepted the invitation and went to work inside.
Adjustments have been something the Suns have handled well for most of the season. Friday night was not one of those moments. The coaching staff saw something earlier in the game that looked advantageous and stuck with it. By the time the fourth quarter unfolded, that read did not hold up.
Now the road trip moves on. Next stop is Boston, which is never an easy place to play and rarely an easy place to win. It would have been nice to board that plane with a victory over Toronto tucked away in the backpack. That did not happen.
In a Western Conference race where the standings refuse to cooperate with Phoenix, moments like that carry extra weight. The inability to pivot when the game shifted may end up meaning more than one loss in the column. Trying to impose a small lineup against a team with size is a gamble. When it fails, the ripple effect stretches beyond a single night. As the season winds down and the teams ahead of the Suns begin to pull away in the standings, every missed opportunity feels a little heavier.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
The 36-point performance by Jalen Green against the Indiana Pacers, which featured an efficient version of Guac, gives the young guard three Bright Side Ballers on the season.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 67 against the Raptors. Here are your nominees:
Jalen Green
34 points (13-of-25, 8-of-16 3PT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, -2 +/-
Devin Booker
31 points (10-of-20, 2-of-5 3PT), 3 rebounds, 9-of-11 FT, 1 block, 5 turnovers, -8 +/-
Grayson Allen
15 points (3-of-7, 1-of-4 3PT), 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 8-of-10 FT, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -8 +/-
Rasheer Fleming
9 points (3-of-5, 3-of-3 3PT), 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 0 turnovers, -3 +/-
Jordan Goodwin
8 points (3-of-5, 1-of-1 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers, -10 +/-
Oso Ighodaro
5 points (2-of-3), 6 rebounds, 1 turnover, 0 +/-
Time to vote!
