Raptors, Barnes cool down Suns' superstar duo in statement win: 'I got that dog in me'

Scottie Barnes delivered another signature fourth-quarter performance to give the Toronto Raptors a much-needed 112-105 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.

Barnes scored 12 of his team-high 23 points, and grabbed five of his seven rebounds, in the final frame. It helped the Raptors go neck-and-neck late against one of the NBA’s powerhouse teams, who were riding a seven-game win streak behind Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

Considering they had lost their last two, Barnes said it was “a big game” for his squad. When asked how he’s able to amp up his performance when it matters most, he kept it simple.

“I don't know, I got that dog in me,” said Barnes, who also finished with game-highs of three blocks and a +14. “I get really energized.”

Toronto head coach Darko Rajaković elaborated a bit more:

“Scottie Barnes is a winner,” he said. “He's not shying away from the moment offensively or defensively. ... I’m really proud of the work that he did today.”

The third-year player’s imprints were all over the game. Along with having a transition poster dunk that’s an early candidate for the Raptors’ play of the year, he was stellar on defence against Booker and Durant. The former finished with eight points on 2-of-12 shooting, while the latter had 30 points but on just 11-of-30 from the field.

Durant, who’s praised Barnes before, said post-game that the “sky’s the limit” for the rising star as his responsibilities expand.

Along with Barnes, Rajaković credits OG Anunoby for his defensive impact on “one of the best duos in the league.”

Durant was returning after a two-game absence due to a sore right foot. He says he just simply missed shots, and that he wasn’t out of rhythm, noting that he got the looks he wanted. Instead it seemed like there was a “lid on the basket tonight,” said the former MVP, as the Raptors “simply made more shots.”

That was the case late, with Dennis Schröder icing the game with a clutch layup to get the Raptors up by five.

“Another player who's not shying away from the moment,” said Rajaković. “I thought that [Schröder] was great today and we're gonna continue to rely on him.”

Shortly before that, Booker tried to tie the game with a three-pointer, but missed. The three-time All Star was dealing with a bad ankle, which he twisted early in the third quarter, but decided to come back knowing the “gravity” he pulls.

“I was fine, not 100 percent, but that’s part of it,” said Booker, who also later clarified that he left for the locker room in the first half to simply go to the bathroom.

The Raptors ultimately led for the majority of the game, as they came out with intensity. Rajaković credited their character, especially considering they returned to Toronto from Brooklyn at 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

“This is a group of people that don't quit, they want to win. They want to represent our team, they want to represent the city of Toronto and the whole of Canada,” said Rajaković.

Siakam set the tone, looking like the best player to start the game, by routinely attacking the teeth of the Suns defence. He had 14 of his 22 points in the first half.

Rajaković said Siakam was a “big reason why we won the game today,” as the team's defensive rebounding allowed it to push the pace, giving Siakam a chance to find his teammates along the way as he attacked the paint.

As a team, the Raptors had 32 paint points in the first half and 16 assists, compared to the Suns’ 22 and 12, respectively. They also held the Suns to 40 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent from downtown in the first two frames, and then 40 and 26 percent clips for the game.

Another key cog in the Raptors’ engine was Schröder, who had nine of his game-high 12 assists in the first half. The German point guard then picked up where he left off in the third quarter with a sweet nutmeg on Durant in transition to find Siakam for the slam.

The Suns responded to start the second half, coming out with a 19-10 run in the third quarter to take a slight lead. Despite that, the Raptors didn’t lose their focus and ended the third frame with a 16-8 run, to eventually go up by six going into the fourth. For the majority of the final frame, they simply exchanged buckets with the Suns, while Durant and Booker couldn’t muster up enough rhythm to take hold of the game.

Following the loss for the Suns, Booker took a moment to praise Rajaković, calling him “underrated,” as he used players like Anunoby and Barnes to “trap a lot of actions.”

For the Raptors, it pushes them back in the win column with a 9-10 record, which is good enough for 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. Up next, they’ll host the New York Knicks on Friday, Nov. 30 back at Scotiabank Arena.