IT WAS OVER WHEN
DeMar DeRozan drilled a long three-pointer to beat the shot clock with 51 seconds remaining to put Toronto up seven. The shot capped off a big second half for DeRozan and helped the Raptors to a 104-97 decision to get back into the win column. The victory moves Toronto to 33-16 on the season.
PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
Prior to the game, the NBA announced that Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan were named co-winners of the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month award. The duo helped Toronto to a 12-2 record in January, tops in the Eastern Conference. DeRozan averaged 23.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while Lowry averaged 21.7 points, 6.7 assists and 2.3 steals in the month as the Raptors went on a franchise-record 11-game winning streak.
POWELL STARTS
Rookie Norman Powell got his first career start against the Suns, filling in for the injured James Johnson. After Johnson suffered a sprained ankle on Monday in Toronto’s loss to Denver, the team needed a replacement and the decision to start Powell allowed head coach Dwane Casey to keep his bench rotation as close to normal as possible.
SLUGGISH START, SOLID BOUNCE BACK
One night after a deflating loss against the Nuggets, the Raptors allowed the Suns to reel off a 32-point opening quarter before settling in and playing their game on both ends of the floor. Toronto trailed by seven in the first quarter, but outscored Phoenix 24-13 in the second to take a seven-point halftime lead. Thanks to big games from Markieff Morris and Devin Booker the Suns stayed in it, but Toronto never trailed in the second half.
RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting. He made five of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc, all five of his free throw attempts, and added four assists, three rebounds and two steals in nearly 42 minutes. Lowry helped Toronto turn things around after a slow start and scored 16 of his 26 before halftime. He added 10 more points in the fourth to help secure the victory.
UNDERRATED RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Bismack Biyombo scored seven points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench. He shot 2-for-3 from the floor, 3-for-3 from the free throw line, and added an assist and a blocked shot. The Raptors were a +17 with Biyombo on the floor, and his defensive energy in the second quarter helped the Raptors to get back into the game.
THAT’S A RAP…
“It’s good to get back to winning. It feels good to win.”
– Kyle Lowry on getting back on track after a loss on Monday night
