Raptors look to build momentum against Suns on TSN
Published
The Toronto Raptors play the fourth game of their seven-game Western road trip as they take on the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Watch the Raptors take on the Suns LIVE tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT across the TSN Network, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.
The Raptors have won two of the first three games on their road trip and are coming off of a 123-105 victory on Saturday over the Portland Trail Blazers. Forward Precious Achiuwa was the catalyst in the win, scoring a career-high 27 points while adding 13 rebounds in place of the injured O.G. Anunoby, who is dealing with a sprained wrist. The 23-year-old has a double-double in four of his past five games and is averaging 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks on 58 per cent shooting over the past two weeks.
“He was in the right place at the right time a lot tonight and that’s a good sign that he’s making himself available,” Nurse said of Achiuwa following Saturday's win. “He made really good reads and (teammates) found him and he made a couple of plays on his own.
"I was happy that he was available because teams will step up to Pascal when he’s driving.”
Forward Pascal Siakam continued his bid for a reserve spot on the All-Star team, scoring 24 points against the Trail Blazers. He is now averaging 25.1 points, 8.1 points, and 6.4 assists per game this season. The one-time all-star and two-time All-NBA selection is one of five players averaging 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists this season, joining Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic.
Following Saturday's win in Portland, the Raptors (23-28) sit 12th in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Chicago Bulls for the 10th seed and final spot in the play-in tournament.
The Suns struggled without all-star guard Booker earlier this month but have turned a corner with the return of point guard Chris Paul, having won five of their past six games following a 128-118 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. Phoenix is now ninth in the Western Conference with a 26-25 record.
The two teams faced off once earlier this season with the Raptors winning 113-104 on Dec. 30. Gary Trent Jr. led the team with 35 points in the victory.