You have to see the head down from Bradley Beal, After yet another opposing basketwhile Kevin during pushes him gently in the back to resume the course of the game. On the raptors' prosecution, the back of the Suns had just taken a grip with Devin Booker on Immanuel Quickley. The Canadians took advantage of the surplus situation to find Chris Boucher, alone, in the corner.
This awarded shot about a minute from the end, came to offer 18 points to the locals. And above all put an end to a fairly crazy offensive sequence: carried by the long distance address of Quickley and RJ Barrett, the Raptors finished their game with seven 3-point baskets!
A sanctioned defensive strategy
Yet one of the least prolific teams in the matter, Toronto finished with 20/35 behind the arc, 57% of success, their record this season. This speaks volumes about their offensive performance, but also on the defensive poor performance of their evening opponents.
“” Our game plan was to lock the racket and force them to pull over us in the racket. This is what we did and they have chosen us by converting to 3-point “, regret Kevin duringnot sure that his team would have won if he had shot more (15 points at 5/15 on shots).
His clan knew that Canadian training is one of the most dangerous in the racket: 5th in the league with 53 points scored on average. In this match, the Raptors were contained at 38 units in this area of the field, compared to 58 in the Suns. But with such a 3-point address …
“” We were not able to defend at the end of the match. We all took a 3-point shot “, Bradley Beal lamentsauthor of his best outing of the year (30 points), while Royce O'Neale claims that his partners and ” alert ».
Heavy “runs” at the end of the time
And more responsive to possibly change the rifle in defense. Because when the 3-point Canadian flood started, the Suns only counted 2 points behind (105-103), five minutes from the end. The premises finished the game in a 22-6.
Knowing that Phoenix, who played in “back-to-back”, had already taken a 17-5 at the end of the first period, to return to the locker room with 15 points behind. A sequence where Mike Budenholzer had already noticed ” mental errors “And” failures From his defense.
Over the last ten games, his team only won two times, including once this weekend in Chicago marking the return of Bradley Beal in the five. And on this sequence, the Suns display the 3rd worst defense of the League with 121 points conceded on 100 possessions.
As a result, Phoenix stayed in 11th place in the west, now with a match and a half behind the Kings. “” We must be honest on our situation. We have a job, that's what we said in recent days and at the end of the cut (from the All-Star Game). We have to stay united and continue to fight “, Claims the coach whose team ends his” road trip “to Memphis on Tuesday, before a double confrontation not to be missed against the Pelicans at home.
