{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
Phoenix 115, Toronto 103
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 22, 2017
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Officials: #42 Eric Lewis, #8 Marc Davis, #50 Gediminas Petraitis
Attendance: 19800

TORONTO -- The Phoenix Suns were the team that was playing for the second night in a row.

The Toronto Raptors, who rested on Saturday, only looked as if they were.

The Suns overcame an eight-point disadvantage 45 seconds into the fourth and outscored the Raptors 33-18 in the final quarter on their way to a 115-103 victory Sunday.

Eric Bledsoe scored 40 points and added 13 assists and six rebounds in his sixth double-double of the season.

"Eric Bledsoe, his line was amazing," Suns coach Earl Watson said. "He is just getting better and better. He is continuing to grow. One thing about our team is we stay together, we have a lot of fight."

It was the second win in a row for the Suns, who beat the New York Knicks on Saturday night.

The Raptors lost a third game in a row for the first time this season.

"When your shots are not falling, you have to make it up on the defensive end, and we did not do that," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.

The Suns took a two-point lead with 6:04 to play in the game on running a layup by P.J. Tucker, who also scored the next three points to give Phoenix a five-point advantage.

Tyson Chandler's dunk with 2:04 to play put the Suns ahead by nine points.

"We did the same thing (Saturday) night," Watson said. "We held the Knicks to 15 points (in the fourth), and tonight I believe it was 18. ... No one wants to play isolation basketball against P.J. Tucker. He had a double-double tonight, he's a tough defender, he's in your face, he's physical, he's strong and he's very shifty, quick feet."

Toronto's Kyle Lowry was ejected for a flagrant foul on Brandon Knight with 1:30 to play.

"It was not a dirty play at all," Lowry said. "Honestly, I thought he was going to go for a floater. I swiped across and hit his head. He took another dribble. I'm not a dirty player, and I already sent a text to him to apologize."

Devin Booker added 20 points for the Suns (15-29), scoring at least 20 points for a career-best ninth consecutive game. Chandler had 16 points and nine rebounds for Phoenix, Knight chipped in with 12 points, and Tucker added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

"It was unbelievable, winning back to back like this," Bledsoe said. "We played great as a team. Brandon (Knight) came in and did a great job, Devin did a great job and P.J. did a great job on DeMar (DeRozan), and I could go on and on. We did a great job as a team."

DeRozan had 22 points for Toronto (28-16). Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Lowry added 15, DeMarre Carroll 14 and Lucas Nogueira 13.

"(Lowry) was frustrated, " Casey said. "DeMar was frustrated. He played through it down the stretch, but he tweaked his ankle a little bit. Frustration comes; we have to learn to play through that."

The Raptors, who had an early nine-point advantage, led 31-28 after the first quarter and 60-57 at halftime.

A pair of free throws by Knight with 31.3 seconds to play in the third cut the Toronto lead to one point. Jared Sullinger completed the scoring in the quarter with a layup, and the Raptors led 85-82.

The Raptors scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer by Terrence Ross, to take an eight-point lead.

Booker's 3-pointer with 9:42 cut Toronto's lead to two points.

Chandler banked in a driving hook shot with 7:29 to play to tie the game at 95.

Carroll's 16-foot jump shot with 6:37 left gave Toronto a two-point lead. Two free throws by Bledsoe tied the game again.

Tucker's layup put the Suns into a 99-97 lead. After a Toronto shot-clock violation, Tucker made one of two free throws with 5:27 to play, and Phoenix led by three.

Tucker said the key to covering DeRozan was to "take away his air space."

"DeMar wants to get to the rim, and he makes some tough shots," Tucker said. "I just tried to get in his air space. Contest his shot and be physical."

Lowry's missed shot led to a turnaround hook shot for Tucker and a 102-97 Phoenix lead.

Bledsoe's layup with 3:58 to play gave Phoenix and a six-point lead, and his jumper with 3:26 to go made it 107-100.

"I'm just trying to win, no matter if I'm playing good or bad," Bledsoe said.

NOTES: Toronto C Lucas Nogueira (concussion protocol) was cleared to return for Sunday's game after missing the two previous games. He was injured at Brooklyn last Tuesday. ... Raptors F Patrick Patterson (strained left knee) did not play Sunday, and it is uncertain if he will be ready to play at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs. He has missed 10 of the past 12 games since being injured on Dec. 29 at Phoenix. ... The Suns won the other meeting between the teams this season, 99-91 at Phoenix on Dec. 29. ... The Suns will play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
Top Game Performances
 
Phoenix   Toronto
Eric Bledsoe 40 Scoring DeMar DeRozan 22
Eric Bledsoe 13 Assists Kyle Lowry 6
Alex Len 10 Rebounds Jonas Valanciunas 12
Eric Bledsoe 14 Free Throws Made DeMar DeRozan 10
Devin Booker 2 Steals DeMarre Carroll 2
Marquese Chriss 1 Blocks Jonas Valanciunas 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Phoenix 115 50.6 9-22 26-28 20 45 1 6 15
Toronto 103 39.8 7-27 30-35 19 35 8 9 10
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against San Antonio. The Raptors have a W/L % of .643 after a win and .625 after a loss.
  • Phoenix will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Suns have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .414 after a loss.