Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for Sunday’s Toronto Raptors at Phoenix Suns NBA matchup.
Closing down today’s five-game NBA slate, the Toronto Raptors will take on the Phoenix Suns. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:10 p.m. ET.
This is the second and final matchup between these two teams this season. They first faced off just over a week ago, which resulted in a 122-115 Raptors victory. This was despite both Devin Booker and Jalen Green scoring 30+ points in the matchup and Phoenix leading for 71% of the game.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s game, the Raptors are 3.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook and hold -162 odds of winning outright. The Suns hold +136 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at 219.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Sunday night matchup.
Raptors at Suns Preview
The Toronto Raptors remain in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 39-30 record on the season. They are looking to bounce back from a 121-115 loss to the Nuggets on Friday, which snapped a three-game winning streak before this. On the season, the Raptors have gone 35-34 against the spread, and the game total has remained under in 42 of their 69 games played.
Darko Rajakovic’s squad is averaging 114.0 points per game, which ranks 21st in the NBA. The Raptors also rank 16th in offensive rating, 11th in field-goal percentage, 25th in three-point production and 20th in pace. Defensively, opponents are scoring 112.0 points per game against Toronto, which is the eighth-best rate in the NBA. The Raptors also rank seventh in defensive rating, 10th in opponent field-goal percentage and ninth in opponent three-point percentage.
Scottie Barnes has taken another leap in his development this season, posting averages of 18.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Brandon Ingram is the top scoring option on the roster, leading the team with 21.8 points per game along with 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists. RJ Barrett adds 19.0 points and 5.4 rebounds, while Immanuel Quickley contributes 17.0 points and a team-high 6.1 assists per game. Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jakob Poeltl, Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter also play key roles in the rotation. However, Collin Murray-Boyles is listed as questionable for tonight with a thumb sprain.
The Phoenix Suns have cooled off from their strong start to the season and now sit in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 39-32 record this year. They are looking to snap a five-game losing streak, but they won four consecutive games before this. On the season, the Suns have gone 42-29 against the spread, and the game total has remained under in 42 of their 71 games played.
Jordan Ott’s squad ranks 26th in the league in scoring at 112.1 points per contest. Phoenix also ranks 17th in offensive rating, 27th in field-goal percentage and 10th in three-point percentage. Defensively, the Suns are giving up the sixth-fewest points at 111.2 points per game. They also rank 12th in defensive rating, 16th in opponent field-goal percentage and first in opponent three-point percentage.
Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams remain sidelined for the Suns, while Amir Coffey, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neal and Haywood Highsmith each missed last night’s game. Phoenix has not submitted an injury report at the time of writing, but all hold uncertain status for the second half of a back-to-back. Devin Booker headlines the production for the Suns, posting averages of 25.5 points, 5.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Jalen Green has started to find his stride, posting averages of 17.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Collin Gillespie has found his stride, while Oso Ighodaro, Jordan Goodwin and Ryan Dunn have made strong impressions.
Raptors at Suns Prediction, Best Bet
Both these teams deserve credit for overachieving in the wider scale of the season. But each seems to be clinging onto their place in the playoff race with the home stretch of the season having arrived.
But the greater concern should be with the Suns for the time being. They have done a nice job establishing a defensive identity, but they lack the necessary offensive creators to win games right now. This will get easier as players like Dillon Brooks and Grayson Allen return to health, but it has limited their outlook in a major way in the short term. Phoenix has been held to 105 points in each of its past three losses. It has also lost five straight and dropped nine of its last 10 night games against teams with a winning record.
Toronto is not a perfect basketball team, but the competitive spirit and ability to bounce back at a high rate have been put on display and will be called upon tonight. The Raptors have won eight of their last nine games following a road loss. These two teams faced off just over a week ago, which resulted in a 122-115 win for Toronto. Even with this matchup taking place on the Suns’ home court, expect more of the same tonight. Toronto is 19-15 against the spread on the road this season, 11-8 ATS with a rest advantage and has covered the spread in four straight games entering today.
Expect the depth of the Raptors to be the biggest factor in this matchup and for their variety of scoring options to pave the path for another win. Phoenix ran out of gas against a shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks team last night, and playing on the second half of a back-to-back only heightens this concern. Expect the 3.5-point spread to be a bar the Raptors are plenty capable of clearing, and for Toronto to cover the spread for its fifth straight game.