by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Jan 11, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
Where to watch: TSN, BSAZ
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Suns -4
BetMGM: Suns -4.5
Caesars: Suns -4.5
Season record
Suns: 30-9 (2nd place, Western Conference)
Raptors: 20-17 (7th place, Eastern Conference)
A good week for ASA, Inc. in the NBA, going 6-2-0 in the last week. What lies ahead with the uncertainty of the NBA schedule? As long as games are played, you can expect the best here. Catch ASA's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Suns - Raptors preview and analysis
Recent form
Suns: lost 123-100 vs. Heat on Jan. 8
Raptors: won six straight; won 105-101 vs. Pelicans on Sunday
The Phoenix Suns are back to full strength after a bout with COVID among two of its important frontcourt players.
That didn't result in a win in their last game against the Miami Heat, but Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder are back and the Suns will try to get back on the winning track against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday in Canada.
Phoenix had a three-game winning streak end Saturday in a 23-point loss to the Heat on its home floor, which is already a weird happening as is. The Suns are 17-5 at home this season, one of the top marks in the entire NBA.
Devin Booker led the way with 26 points on 5 of 15 shooting, but the star guard hit all 13 of his free-throw attempts. Outside of that, no one else made a big impact. Mikal Bridges might have been Phoenix's best player by scoring 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting, but the Suns shot 38 percent from the floor.
"I think they came out way too comfortable," Booker said. "That is not a team you want to give some confidence in and let them see a couple of easy ones go in. It was too loose. They got to do whatever they wanted."
The Phoenix Suns are back to full strength after a bout with COVID among two of its important frontcourt players.
That didn't result in a win in their last game against the Miami Heat, but Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder are back and the Suns will try to get back on the winning track against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday in Canada.
Phoenix had a three-game winning streak end Saturday in a 23-point loss to the Heat on its home floor, which is already a weird happening as is. The Suns are 17-5 at home this season, one of the top marks in the entire NBA.
Devin Booker led the way with 26 points on 5 of 15 shooting, but the star guard hit all 13 of his free-throw attempts. Outside of that, no one else made a big impact. Mikal Bridges might have been Phoenix's best player by scoring 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting, but the Suns shot 38 percent from the floor.
"I think they came out way too comfortable," Booker said. "That is not a team you want to give some confidence in and let them see a couple of easy ones go in. It was too loose. They got to do whatever they wanted."
Ayton had 12 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes in his return to the lineup, while Crowder had only 3 points in 27 minutes while missing all three 3-point attempts.
It was an off game for the Suns as a whole, which haven't happened as often for the reigning Western Conference champions. But getting Ayton back, and for as good as he looked against Miami, is a good sign going against a red-hot Raptors team.
Toronto has won six straight and has vaulted closer to the top six in the East. The Raptors have gotten wins against the Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs in this run, and are coming off a 4-point victory over the New Orleans Pelicans to keep the streak alive.
Pascal Siakam has rediscovered his All-Star form after going for 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Fred VanVleet had a game-high 32 points despite taking 27 shots to get there. Siakam finished three assists shy of a triple-double.
"I feel like we're getting better, we're getting better as a team," Siakam said. "Obviously it's translating to wins right now."
It was an off game for the Suns as a whole, which haven't happened as often for the reigning Western Conference champions. But getting Ayton back, and for as good as he looked against Miami, is a good sign going against a red-hot Raptors team.
Toronto has won six straight and has vaulted closer to the top six in the East. The Raptors have gotten wins against the Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs in this run, and are coming off a 4-point victory over the New Orleans Pelicans to keep the streak alive.
Pascal Siakam has rediscovered his All-Star form after going for 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Fred VanVleet had a game-high 32 points despite taking 27 shots to get there. Siakam finished three assists shy of a triple-double.
"I feel like we're getting better, we're getting better as a team," Siakam said. "Obviously it's translating to wins right now."
The Raptors are still playing games without fans, which is an awful sight. Their fans need to be seeing this team win the way it's doing, but it's yet another reminder that COVID remains a problem in the sports world. You'd think the lack of fans would hurt Toronto, but quite the opposite, apparently.
Prediction
Conventional wisdom normally says to take the team with the winning streak, but the Suns are just too good. Now with Ayton back, the small Toronto frontcourt will be overwhelmed. Ayton played well with limited touches, and I'd expect him to get more in this game. Suns by 10
Betting trends
The Suns are 28-7 straight up as a favorite this season.
The Suns are 11-2 straight up and 8-5 ATS as a road favorite this season.
The Raptors are 9-12 straight up as an underdog this season.
Projected starting lineup
Suns:
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowder
C: Deandre Ayton
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowder
C: Deandre Ayton
Raptors:
PG: Fred VanVleet
SG: Gary Trent Jr.
SF: OG Anunoby
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Pascal Siakam
SF: OG Anunoby
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Pascal Siakam
Key injuries
Suns: Landry Shamet (conditioning, questionable)
Raptors: None
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Phoenix Suns - Toronto Raptors prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
