NBA: Gary Trent Jr. scores 42, Raptors down Suns
Gary Trent Jr. #33 and Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors celebrate after defeating the Phoenix Suns 117-112 at Footprint Center on March 11, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. Kelsey Grant/Getty Images/AFP
Gary Trent Jr. matched his season-best with 42 points, hitting eight 3-pointers, and the visiting Toronto Raptors withstood a comeback by the Phoenix Suns for a 117-112 win Friday night.
Pascal Siakam added 25 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who won their second in a row. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes had 15 points, Fred VanVleet finished with 10 and Precious Achiuwa contributed 11.
Article continues after this advertisementMake that 3️⃣1️⃣ for @gtrentjr pic.twitter.com/DzjZHIzAYd
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 12, 2022
Cameron Payne scored 24 points for the Suns, who fell to 5-4 since losing Chris Paul to a broken thumb. Devin Booker added 22 points and seven assists, Mikal Bridges had 18 points, Deandre Ayton contributed 16 points and Jae Crowder put up 13 points.
Toronto used a 40-30 third quarter to extend its lead to 14 points. Phoenix scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to six.
Article continues after this advertisementBismack Biyombo’s block set up a jumper by Bridges to cut the lead to two with 5:14 remaining. Biyombo’s put-back tied the game with 4:36 to go.
Trent was called for a flagrant-1 foul with 4:13 left. Payne made 1 of 2 free throws and Bridges sank a 10-footer for a three-point Phoenix lead. Trent tied the game with a 3-pointer before Ayton made a 14-footer for a two-point Suns lead with 3:19 to go.
Trent made two free throws to tie the contest with 2:28 to play.
Toronto took a four-point lead thanks to a Khem Birch tip-in and then a steal and a layup by Barnes with 1:43 left. Siakam followed with a steal and a dunk for a six-point lead 10 seconds later.
spin cycle on HIGH 🌪 @pskills43 pic.twitter.com/Fo8uK5OqVx
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 12, 2022
Booker’s 3-pointer trimmed the gap to one with 52.2 seconds left. Trent made two free throws with 17.5 seconds left.
After Booker missed a long 3-point attempt, Trent sealed the victory by hitting two foul shots.
Toronto led 30-24 after one quarter but Phoenix got within 56-52 at halftime. Trent had 18 points before the break while Payne paced the Suns with 15.
