Suns host Raptors in battle of travel-weary teams
PHOENIX -- The Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns can both be excused if they're a little weary for Thursday night's game at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Both had late-night arrivals in Phoenix after playing (and losing) elsewhere on Wednesday night -- the Raptors in Oakland and the Suns in San Antonio.
Weary or not, they have no choice but to regroup for a quick turnaround. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Arizona and FOX Sports GO, starting at 6:30 p.m.
The Raptors, who will be making their fourth stop in a six-game road trip, were involved in a bit of a track meet with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, losing 121-111.
Guards Kyle Lowry (40) and DeMar DeRozan (39) both put in heavy minutes, and reserves Terrence Ross (34) and Patrick Patterson (33) also were called upon for extensive duty, leaving the Raptors in an unenviable position against the Suns.
Phoenix coach Earl Watson was much more stingy with the big minutes in the Suns' 119-98 loss at San Antonio on Wednesday night.
None of the Suns starters played more than 29 minutes in the loss, during which the Phoenix reserves tallied 58 of the club's 98 points.
Despite the setback at Golden State, the Raptors seek to build upon what has been a historic start on the road. Toronto had won a franchise-record seven straight away from home before running into the West's top team Wednesday.
The Suns are at the other end of the West's spectrum. Their loss Wednesday dropped them to 9-23, tied with Dallas for the worst record in the conference.
The Suns will be playing their third game in four nights since returning from a two-day holiday break, and after this brief pit stop at home, they head right back on the road for games vs. Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers.
No doubt, the highlight of Phoenix's losses at Houston and San Antonio on a three-day trip was the play of rookie Dragan Bender.
The No. 4 pick in June had been limited to five points or fewer in 27 of the Suns' first 30 games before coming through with 11- and 10-point outings against the Rockets and Spurs.
Fellow rookie Marquese Chriss, the No. 8 overall selection, also had a nice trip, recording 12- and 13-point games.
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"We are a young group trying to establish a culture and that can't be done overnight," Watson noted after the game. "We have to be a defensive team all four quarters and keep our focus. Turnovers hurt us, but with a young team, turnovers are going to happen."
Suns fans hope to see more of the positives at home, where their club has recorded a league-low five wins this season.
Adding a sixth against the Atlantic Division leader won't be easy. Down by as many as 25 points Wednesday night, the Raptors made even the Warriors fight for their win.
"I like our fight. I love our grit that we showed," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters after the game. "We could have given in. It was a 20-point game. They pounced on us. We kept fighting, and that will take us a long way."
The loss at Golden State had a historic moment for the Raptors when DeRozan's 15th of 29 points moved him past Chris Bosh and into the top spot on the franchise's all-time scoring list.
DeRozan, in his eighth NBA season, finished the night with 10,290 career points, 15 more than Bosh, who played his first seven seasons for Toronto.
