Toronto Raptors' Terrence Ross, right, leaps to save the ball from going out of bounds in front of Phoenix Suns' P.J. Tucker during the second half of NBA basketball action in Toronto on Monday, November 24, 2014.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
Every night it's someone different starring in the latest remarkable Toronto Raptors win.
On Monday night, facing a Western Conference test from the Phoenix Suns, Jonas Valanciunas exploded for a career-high 27 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Raptors found a way to pull out a nail-biter, 104-100, and pulled even with the Memphis Grizzlies for the NBA's best record at 12-2.
"I told the players, each night it's going to be a different story, a different star -- tonight it was JV, the other night it was Lou Williams," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "The way of growth we're having right now is finding ways to win.
DeMar DeRozan added 23 points for the Raptors, who have now won five straight. Williams, named Eastern Conference player of the week earlier that day, added 17, while Kyle Lowry posted 14, along with seven rebounds and eight assists. But the point guard was more interested in touting the successes of Valanciunas on the night.
"He was dominant tonight, very aggressive, he really attacked the basket and played like a true seven-foot centre," said Lowry. "We've got a team full of guys that just want to see one another be successful. Whoever is getting the praise that day, we're happy for that guy."
The Raptors came into the fourth quarter with an 81-66 lead over the fifth-place team from the power-packed Western Conference, winners of their last four games. But they allowed Phoenix to spring free for seven three-pointers in the quarter, and the lead evaporated. But enough hard-nosed, clever plays in the final seconds allowed the Raptors to grab the victory.
The final tense moments had the soldout Air Canada crowd in a frenzy – a crowd that included Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic, courtside. Lowry had a timely steal off Phoenix guard Isaiah Thomas with Toronto up two and about 23 seconds left – a play that set up an almost comical jump ball between the two guards. Toronto took control after the jump when Terrence Ross saved a ball headed out of bounds. Then the Raptors took care of business to seal the game with a couple of DeRozan free throws.
Eric Bledsoe led the way with 25 points for Phoenix. Tyler Ennis of Brampton, Ont, 18th overall draft pick of the Suns back in June, was in street clothes as he still awaits his opportunity to earn playing time on a roster heavy on point guard talent.
Ennis had a front row seat to what is happening in his hometown, in the same building where he once watched Raptors games growing up. The latest Toronto victory ties the Raptors with the Memphis Grizzlies for the NBA's best record. Toronto had overcome tests from the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers and Western Conference-tested Suns in the course of three days. The Raptors head to Atlanta Wednesday before returning home to face Dallas on Friday, and then leave for a West Coast trip to meet Los Angeles, Sacramento and Utah.
"The season is just getting started; things are just starting to get good," said Williams. "If this is the roof for us, then we're in trouble. We have a lot more things to accomplish and other teams we need to beat in order for us to be taken seriously in this league."
Rachel Brady