Raptors at Suns
The Toronto Raptors attempt to bounce back from a huge collapse when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday. Toronto blew a 27-point third-quarter deficit en route to a 112-103 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday in a full-on meltdown that saw the Raptors get outscored 42-15 in the fourth quarter. Toronto has lost four straight games and will try to rebound in the second contest of a three-game road excursion.
Phoenix has played better than expected under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek and Wednesday’s 97-88 road victory over the Houston Rockets was the latest example. The Suns put forth a solid defensive effort to hold Houston 20 points below its season average and move back over the .500 mark. Phoenix gave up an average of 107.2 points over its previous five outings before holding the Rockets to 35.2 percent from the field and 9-of-31 from 3-point range.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, TSN2 (Toronto), FSN Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (6-11): Forward Rudy Gay shot 50 percent from the field for the first time all season in the loss to the Warriors. Gay scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and has averaged 20.7 points over the past three games since tallying a season-low nine points against the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 26. Gay typically puts up a lot of shots and they aren’t always high-percentage attempts as summed up by his season mark of 38.8 percent.
ABOUT THE SUNS (10-9): The unsung star of the victory over the Rockets was forward P.J. Tucker, who matched his season high with 18 points and recorded four steals. He also silenced Houston star James Harden, who tallied just 14 points on 3-of-17 shooting while mostly being guarded by Tucker. “James Harden is one of the best offensive players in the game,” Tucker said afterward. “I viewed the matchup as my opportunity as a lead to set the tone.” Tucker averages 9.3 points per game and has a team-leading 27 steals.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Toronto has won the last three meetings after Phoenix put together a streak of 14 consecutive victories.
2. Raptors G DeMar DeRozan needs 18 points to become the sixth player in franchise history with 5,000 career points.
3. Suns G Eric Bledsoe had 20 points against the Rockets for his first 20-point outing since Nov. 13.