The Suns found their stroke from three, pulling away early in the game and never looking back.
The Phoenix Suns defeat the Toronto Raptors, 129-89, behind efficient shooting and dominate in all facets of the game.
Owning the second quarter, Devin Booker scored 13 of his game-leading 27 points, leading the Suns through a gauntlet from behind the three-point line and all over the court. Outscoring the Raptors 39-11, the game was effectively over by halftime.
Kevin Durant took a back seat for most of the game, only 2:21 in that deadly second quarter, leaving Booker and the rest of the Suns to their business, finishing off the Raptors behind 20 made threes and 58 bench points.
It was an all-out effort to correct things this season, starting with this game. Phoenix wins by 40 points, securing their 32nd win on the season and, with Dallas idle tonight, to within 2 games of the 11th seed.
The Suns’ 40-point win over the Raptors is tied for the 11th most in franchise history. The last time they won by 40 or more points? February 17, 2009.
— John Voita (@DarthVoita) March 18, 2025
Game Flow
First Half
It was fun watching Ryan Dunn and Collin Gillespie being added to the starting lineup. Some youth and a lot of ball movement. Trailing 17-13 at the seven-minute mark in the first quarter, Gillespie and Dunn brought full-court awareness, but the wide-open threes given up and the Raptors’ fast break after missed Suns shots hurt Phoenix early, preventing them from getting off to a fast start.
But with Kevin Durant finding Nick Richards multiple times in the paint for easy baskets, the Suns held tight to the Raptors.
Nick with an early 6 points. pic.twitter.com/GbLi3LJ2EM
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 18, 2025
The Suns turned the ball over only four times, but those mistakes came at key moments in the first quarter—missed opportunities that could have fueled a 5-0 or 7-0 run to help them pull even by the end of the period.
At the end of the first quarter, the Suns trailed the Raptors 29-24.
To open the second quarter, the Raptors had to call an early timeout after the Suns came out with a stunning 10-0 run.
Returning from the timeout, Booker rose up and knocked down two more threes, pushing the Suns’ lead to 40-31.
around the worldddd pic.twitter.com/aUiiXtpy8e
— Cage (@ridiculouscage) March 18, 2025
With the pesky defense of Cody Martin, the ball kept finding its way into the Suns’ hands. Within the first five minutes of the second quarter, the Suns forced three turnovers, all caused by Martin’s defensive disruption.
Led by Booker, three-point shooting, and strong defense, the Suns took a commanding lead at halftime. Coach Bud kept Durant on the bench until the 2:11 mark, running the same four players—Booker, Tyus Jones, Oso Ighodaro, and Royce O’Neale—for the entire second quarter. Booker checked out with 1:30 remaining, but the other three stayed on the floor as Dunn re-entered the game. The Suns were on fire, and Bud wanted to ride their momentum through the quarter.
After hitting seven threes and only turning the ball over once, the Suns held a 63-40 lead at the half.
Second Half
The second half got off to a slow start, with Booker still leading the charge but at a more controlled pace than in the first half. Still finding the open teammate, the third quarter started out with a good flow of ball movement.
Nick throws it down pic.twitter.com/Pq99MM4BSk
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 18, 2025
After he headed to the bench with seven minutes left in the third quarter, Durant took over—both as a scorer and as the primary playmaker.
The Suns maintained a comfortable 23-point lead with 6:29 remaining in the third.
With control of the game, the Suns were finally having fun on the court for the first time in a while. Booker checked back in for a brief stint before heading to the bench for the remainder of the third quarter. I keep mentioning Booker because he was a true leader tonight, standing out in every aspect of the game on Monday night.
The second half was almost comical in how effortlessly the Suns stripped the ball from the Raptors and capitalized with wide-open threes on the other end.
BOOK IT pic.twitter.com/DCLe6UPJJG
— Cage (@ridiculouscage) March 18, 2025
Six Suns players finished in double figures, as the fourth quarter was merely a formality—just time to be wasted off the clock.
Once again, Booker was a boss in this game. His dominance on both ends of the floor carried the Suns to a much-needed victory over the Raptors.
Suns 129, Raptors 89.
Up Next
The Phoenix Suns remain home taking on the Chicago Bulls Wednesday at 7PM.
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