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Toronto Raptors Run Out of Energy in the Desert, Lose 99-91 to Suns

By Chris Okrainetz

Dec 29, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) handles the ball against Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) in the second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns won 99-91. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) handles the ball against Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) in the second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns won 99-91. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aside from another slow start, nothing was normal about the Toronto Raptors (22-10) on Thursday night, as they lost 99-91 to the Phoenix Suns (10-23).

VS.
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Suns1626342399
Raptors1822222991

Thoughts and Observations

After trying to mount a comeback against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, the

Toronto Raptors

looked exhausted against the Phoenix Suns.

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Toronto turned the ball over 18 times, which is very uncharacteristic of them. On top of the turnovers, they committed a number of lazy fouls and only shot 40 percent from the field. We can probably chalk these things up to fatigue, but either way, the Raptors had an uncharacteristic off night.

The problem with having these “off nights” against bad teams like the Suns is that the fan base tends to forget that good teams do lose to bad teams every once in a while. The Warriors lost to the Lakers earlier in the season and they turned out just fine. Don’t worry, nothing is wrong with the Raptors. They just had a bad night.

The real concern from this game is

Patrick Patterson

. He exited this contest early with a knee injury and did not return. After the game he admitted he was worried and based on what he was saying, we should be worried too.

  • Jonas Valanciunas looked horrific. He was gassed from the get-go and he was a complete liability in pick-and-roll situations on the defensive end. Dwane Casey didn’t play him in the fourth quarter, even though the Raptors could’ve used his post presence when the game slowed down, but that should tell you what kind of faith Casey has in him right now.
  • Pascal Siakam‘s motor never seems to stop, but aside from that he’s limited in what he can offer the Raptors, which is okay since he’s a developing rookie. However, if Patterson is forced to miss an extended period of time, Toronto’s offence will need to find a way to utilize Siakam because right now their spacing suffers when he is on the floor.
    • DeMarre Carroll

    played in his first back-to-back this season, but he was restricted to 20 minutes.

    RBX (Raptors Bandwagon Exchange)

    • Buy: Grab some Siakam stock in case Patterson misses time. Heck, might as well grab some Jared Sullinger stock too just in case. Let’s hope P-Patt doesn’t miss an extended period of time, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.
    • Sell: I’m not selling any stock after this performance. The Raptors were tired and had an off night, nothing to overreact too.

    Three Stars of the Night

    1. Eric Bledsoe: the dynamic guard did a little bit of everything for the Suns and he finished with 22 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, three steals, two blocks and eight turnovers.D
    2. Kyle Lowry: he tried to will the Raptors to victory in the fourth quarter, but it was too late. 
    3. Tyson Chandler: he finished the night with nine points, 13 rebounds (four offensive rebounds), two steals, one block and was a +19. Toronto’s small ball lineup did give him trouble, but overall he was solid during this game.

    Statline of the Night

    11

    The Raptors only managed to score 11 points off 20 Phoenix turnovers. Points off turnovers has been a strength of the Raptors this season, but that wasn’t the case on Thursday. Frankly, this is just another uncharacteristic stat in what was an extremely uncharacteristic game for Toronto.

    What’s Next

    The Raptors will carry on with their west coast road trip and head to tinsel town to take on the Los Angeles Lakers (12-24) at the Staples Center on Sunday night. After starting the season off at 10-10, the wheels have come off the Lakers and they have only won two of their last 16 games. With two full days off, perhaps the Lakers are exactly what the Raptors need right now. Until then, from us here at Tip of the Tower, we wish everyone a safe and happy New Year.

    Next: Why the Raptors Need to Start Patterson

    What did you think of the Toronto Raptors 99-91 loss to the Phoenix Suns? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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