Slam Dunk Central

The Toronto Raptors, whether by this road trip taking a toll on them, a lack of effort or a combination of the two, are showing some preliminary cracks.  Other than Chris Bosh, there wasn’t much for Raptors coach Sam Mitchell to be happy about Saturday night.  The Phoenix Suns shot 53% from the floor in the fashion they know best: run-and-gun, as they handily defeated the Raptors 122-103 at Phoenix.

Phoenix, which has been dogged by slow starts lately, started a 20-11 run to go up 34-22 with 1 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter.  But Toronto would have an 11-4 spurt that would cut the Suns’ lead to 44-43 on Bosh’s 2 free throws with 6:53 left in the first half.  The Suns’ Leandro Barbosa responded with a 3-pointer; but moments later, Toronto reduced the Suns’ lead to 55-53 when Bosh made a jumper.

The Suns’ Barbosa, who scored 15 points in the quarter, made a layup during a 7-0 run that would give Phoenix a 62-53 lead with 2:10 left in the half; the Suns went inot halftime leading 66-61.  Phoenix would start a 20-6 run in the 3rd quarter  to open up a 98-79 advantage; the Suns blew open a 103-83 lead entering the fourth quarter and the Raptors would never seriously challenge the Suns the rest of the way.

Phoenix was led by Barbosa with 31 points, while Amare Stoudemire added 28 with 11 rebounds; Grant Hill, enjoying a renaissance season, scored 25 in only 25 minutes on the floor.  Toronto was led by Bosh’s 42 points and 13 rebounds; Jose Calderon had a solid game, adding 15 with 7-of-11 shooting.  Phoenix (19-8) takes a short flight to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Christmas Day, while Toronto (15-14) gets the holiday off and do not play again until Friday, when they travel to Texas to take on the San Antonio Spurs.

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