Ingram, Barrett and Barnes come through in the clutch
Brandon Ingram put up video game numbers: 36 points on 13-20 shooting, 5-6 from downtown.
In the fourth quarter, he threw a pass down to Immanuel Quickley, who then threw it right into RJ Barrett’s hands in the right corner pocket. Splash. Barrett screamed into the Scotiabank Arena crowd that he grew up being a part of.
Last night, the Raptors went 5-8 from this coveted area. It was Barrett’s only made 3 of the game, but he gave his team their first lead since the start of the second quarter.
After finally breaking the stalemate, there was still 3:35 left. There was still hope.
Suns player Royce O’Neale splashed a 3 to answer back, but Ingram tied the game with Glorilla watching from the stands.
Ja’Kobe Walter, who had already made two 3s already, decided to feed the hot-hand instead of hoisting a 3 himself. He passed the ball to Barrett, and the latter rewarded the decision by making a beautiful floater after a spin cycle.
Devin Booker airballed the 3 and Ingram isoed on O’Neale in the ensuing possession. The speakers played Biggie’s “N-N-N-Notorious!” one more time as Ingram was on one.
Barnes, who had been fighting an illness all game, hobbled back like Willis Reed and had the defensive play of the night. A massive come-from-behind block on Jalen Green, the Suns’ leading scorer with 34 points (Booker had 31). Green wilted on the baseline, and the 5-on-4 Raptors’ advantage resulted in Barrett dunking the ball.
This was Raptors basketball many of us have longed for.
To borrow Jack Armstrong’s terminology, there was lots of see-sawing in the first half. The Suns shot 10-22 (46%) from downtown while the Raptors were 7-14 (50%). Even Ingram hit an ugly bailout 3. And Barrett’s pin-point hit-ahead pass to Scottie after Green missed an open 3 deserves another look.
In the third, the Raptors tried to break the stalemate. Phoenix and Toronto each traded four 3-point makes. Rasheer Fleming scored from the left corner pocket in between Mamu’s back-to-back two-handed dunks (Fleming was a perfect 3-3 from downtown). When Ingram made his fifth 3, Jordan Goodwin answered with a fadeaway jumper. And when Ingram was about to get downhill, Jamison Battle got called for an offensive foul. Booker beat the buzzer at the end of the third with a deep mid-range 2.
Hope has killed the Raptors fanbase many times, and I was cautiously optimistic as this was all too reminiscent of the Houston Rockets game. But perpetual disappointment is a psychological condition that can be unlearned. The Raptors kept plugging away. They had the dog, the Dillon Brooks, in them as he watched from the sidelines with his shades and cast on.
The Raptors broke through last night behind a stellar performance from Ingram, Barrett and Barnes.
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