Raptors take unusual approach to halting slump in much-needed win over Suns

When the regular gas ain’t working, try the new gas.

The Toronto Raptors have been listing, slumping, sputtering – pick an adjective. Brows were furrowed. Anxiety was high.

But maybe all they need was right there before their eyes. Like Gary Trent Jr. – a reluctant passer under any circumstance and maybe especially so while in the midst of one of his trademark heaters – making like a point guard and driving and kicking to a wide-open shooter in the corner.

Hey, a smart basketball play, well done. Except in this case, the wide-open shooter was rookie centre Christian Koloko, who had never hit a three in his 33-game NBA career until that point.

But Koloko squared up and stroked it like Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson might, and it was never in doubt. The unusual play sequence capped an unusual game and helped seal and much-needed 113-104 win for the Raptors over the visiting Phoenix Suns.

It was not exactly how it was drawn up, but the Suns sent Koloko’s man at Trent Jr., leaving Koloko all alone in the corner so ….

“He saw me. He ain’t got no choice, to be honest, because I think he had two men in front of him. He didn’t have a choice,” said Kololo, who is now 1-of-8 on threes for his brief career. “… I told him after the timeout, ‘I appreciate you believing in me, for trusting me on that last pass. It’s the end of the game and I’m not put in that position every day. And you passed me the ball.’ I was really happy.”

Trent Jr. tied his season high with 35 points to lead all scorers and added three steals, but was happy to give up the ball when the play required it.

“It’s just having a certain trust,” said Trent Jr., who averages 1.4 assists per game on the season. “I see him work every day, what he does and what he can do and he made the play.”

The win halted the Raptors' five-game home losing streak and gave Toronto just its fifth win in 16 games as its record improved to 16-20. The struggling Suns, playing without starters Devin Booker and Cam Johnson, fell to 20-17. They were led by Chris Paul, who scored 20 points and added 12 assists.

Koloko’s big shot and the burst Trent Jr. provided as a starter were the edge the Raptors needed and sent them into the New Year on a positive note after a very difficult stretch of games where emotions were running high.

The game was unusual in that Toronto forced the Suns into 25 turnovers but couldn’t separate themselves as Phoenix still managed to shoot 49.4 per cent from the floor and 14-of-30 from three. But the Raptors' disruptive defensive energy carried the day even as they shot 49.4 per cent and 11-of-33 from deep.

Whether this will spark anything or just relieve the mood around the club, it was more than welcome.

Still reverberating around Scotiabank Arena were the comments that Nurse had made following the Raptors' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night, Nurse had been as clear-cut in his criticism of his team’s play as he had been at any time in his five-year tenure. Saying aspects were “as bad as it gets” and called their effort “unacceptable” as their home losing streak stretched to five.

Playing the second night of a rare home back-to-back, the Raptors didn’t have a pre-game shootaround, instead opting for a 20-minute video session that was very much run by Nurse, rather than a more collaborative back-and-forth, which is common at the pro level.

“There was one voice,” said Nurse, making clear who was doing the speaking.

The message?

“As you [saw] last night live, it wasn’t that great to show,” said Nurse. “… It’s very simple, foundational things that we’ve got to get better … I’m probably not gonna air on the soft side of saying, ‘It was just a one-night thing.’ I’m gonna show them the good, bad, and ugly. I’m gonna show them that I’m not backing away from any of that stuff. I’m gonna show them what they need to do better. That’s the only way I think I can teach ‘em.”

It was a gamble. If a coach calls out his team and his team doesn’t respond, problems can spiral.

“I think it's not the easiest decision in the world when you're going to do one of those sessions,” said Nurse. “I think you're rolling the dice a little bit and it's a roll of the dice that turned out.”

His players seemed to welcome the challenge, and responded accordingly, always a good sign.

“He wanted us to be accountable, be better, [that we] can’t accept anything like the performance we put on [against the Clippers],” said Trent Jr. “It was a must win today.”

The Raptors' first quarter was as close to textbook as Nurse could have wished for. They were challenging passes all over the floor and swooping in on unsuspecting ball handlers to jar the ball away. Toronto started the game off by forcing the Suns into a shot-clock violation for their first turnover and had both Siakam and Anunoby hit threes in the early going, always a promising sign.

Toronto had forced four turnovers by the time the game was five minutes old. Things were going so well that Anunoby had found Koloko twice on tight little interior passes. Once on a drive and drop-off to Koloko in the ‘dunker’s spot’ just left of the basket and on another when Anunoby and Koloko combined on a perfectly executed pick-and-roll.

The Suns were keeping themselves in it by hitting the shots they did get – they shot 66.7 per cent in the first quarter but took only 15 shots. The Raptors were at 45.1 per cent but had 22 field goal attempts and were 5-of-12 from deep as they jumped out to a doubtless nerves-easing 33-24 lead after 12 minutes.

But sustained success has been an issue for Toronto, as has been guarding the three-point line. The Suns started the second quarter on a 13-2 run fuelled by threes by Damion Lee, Dario Saric, and Ish Wainright, who was a late cut in training camp for Toronto in 2021-22. A 12-0 run by Toronto pushed their lead back to 10 before a four-point play by Chris Paul sparked another push by the Suns, who were only a missed three at the horn from taking the lead into the half.

Instead, it was the Raptors who led 53-51 but given Toronto has somehow forced the Suns into 15 turnovers and allowed Phoenix to shoot 57.6 per cent from the floor and 50 per cent from deep, there was cause for concern.

But the decision to start Trent Jr. with Fred VanVleet (back) out for the second straight game looked inspired in the early going of the third quarter. The shooting guard had eight points in just over three minutes on a floater, a four-point play as he was fouled on a three-pointer and a steal and a dunk as part of a 10-3 that pushed Toronto’s lead to 11. However, it was trimmed back to 10 when Trent Jr. was called for a technical foul after being judged to have stared down Josh Okogie, who unsuccessfully tried to block Trent Jr. at the rim.

The call was debatable but understandable. It didn’t deter Trent Jr., who ended up with 18 in the third as Toronto led 86-79 to start the fourth.

The Raptors were able to hang on and – thanks to Trent Jr.’s playmaking and Koloko’s sharpshooting – close it out.

It sends the Raptors into 2023 with a better taste and after a quick trip to Indianapolis on Jan. 2, a six-game homestand to look forward to. We’ll know at some point if the Nurse’s roll of the dice and Koloko’s big shot will be a turning point or just a pause in a slide that has been building for months, but for now, Happy New Year.