Title: Raptors Takeaways: Thinned-out lineup has tough night vs. underperforming Suns
Date: March 17, 2025
Original Source: Sportsnet
Synopsis: In my latest at Sportsnet, I wrote about a Raptors loss to the Suns where, for a night, both teams played to script instead of their opposite modes of late.
For a night, both the Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors looked more like what people expected them to look like right now rather than how they’ve actually looked of late.
For the Suns, it comes perilously, frustratingly late. A 129-89 win Monday pushed them to 32-37, drawing them within one game of the final Western Conference play-in spot, right as Anthony Davis reportedly nears a return for the Dallas Mavericks. Why it took until March 17, against a thinned-out lottery team, following a 6-15 stretch of play, for the Suns to once again show proof of concept is something the front office will spend most of the off-season grappling with.
It even took a strong wake-up call from Toronto to get Phoenix going.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 