Quick Reaction: Suns 109, Raptors 127

STAR-J Barrett makes his presence known once again! He was hooping tonight, taking it coast to coast, drawing fouls, and turning into a three-point monster in the final minutes of the game. Barrett was playing nicely off of Scottie and Quickley tonight as well, he didn’t force too many shots and was taken what was given to him. He looked to make those right passes and found the open man when he had to.

It’s been great to see how Scottie has evolved as a leader on this team. He looks to pass first before scoring, helps to get his other teammates going and knows when to put his head down and score. But what mainly stood out to me tonight is his defence against Kevin Durant. Barnes made it extremely difficult for Durant to get going and get his shot off, did a fantastic job taking away his three-point shooting and slowed him down. Even when he switched on to Devin Booker, he stuck onto him like glue and forced a miss. He was showing All NBA levels of defence.

Robinson was solid tonight, he fought for the rebounds and put himself in positions to score, making it easier for guys like IQ and Scottie to find him. Overall not too much to nitpick.

Gradey was on FIRE in the first, hitting three-three pointers, but slowed down going into the next few quarters. However, he still made sure to impact the games in other ways, making sure to stay on his man, and pushed the pace in transition which led to a lob to IQ.

QUICKLEY IS HIMM! IQ has shown that the more he plays, the better he performs for the team. He did everything tonight, finding the open man, playing solid defence and not being afraid to let his shot fly. Hitting back-to-back threes late in the fourth, including one from DEEP. I like this more aggressive side from IQ, when he has his offensive side flowing, he still doesn’t force it. He lets the game come to him and can score when the opportunity presents itself.

When you got your starters going crazy on the offensive end, it’s hard for you to get your offence going so I can’t fault Ochai too much. He stayed ready, moved off the ball and when he got open, knocked the shot down.

Jamal is such a bright spot on this team. He comes in with the utmost energy, ready to lay it all out for the Raps. Shead picks his shots carefully, moves without the ball, and locks down on the other end of the floor. He took a hard shot from Booker when trying to take a charge and that just goes to show his character.

Mogbo struggled tonight offensively but kept his energy up on the defensive end. Made it hard for guys like Durant to establish a rhythm and that’s all he has to do in games like this honestly. When your starters are rolling, you have to find other ways to make an impact on the game.

I love Walter’s energy, he is not afraid to take the ball and head first straight to the paint. He can get to his spot and isn’t afraid to let it fly. He also can move without the ball and find himself open on three. Granted, he didn’t make those shots. But, the important thing for him is he’s getting open and taking those shots.

Boucher the SPARK PLUG. Boucher would come off the bench and immediately make an impact on the game on both sides of the floor. Hustling for loose boards, jumping for put-backs, cutting off the ball, and knocking down three after three. I personally would like to see him get some more minutes with Jakob being out, but maybe this is the best position for him,

Garbage time.

Garbage time.

Darko coached a great game tonight, found out ways to use Scottie’s defensive prowess to shut down Durant and knew to keep the right guys in the game. I questioned him for keeping Boucher out of the game in the third, but it was the right play. Boucher came into the fourth energized and ready to hoop.