Despite the Toronto Raptors' <sarcasm>bold move</sarcasm> to trade for Chicago's James Johnson, they fell 110-92 to the Phoenix Suns north of the border. Steve Nash and the Suns never really let Toronto have a chance, either. The team led 35-14 after the first quarter, and never really let the Raptors back into it.
The Suns were powered by yet another double-double from recently-acquired center Marcin Gortat, who had 17 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) and 11 rebounds in his 34 minutes on the floor. Nash, a Toronto favorite, would have nabbed a triple-double were it not for his poor 2-of-12 shooting. Regardless, he finished with seven points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists to only one turnover.
Phoenix shot a paltry 29% from behind the arc, which would normally be a bad thing. Fortunately, the Raptors were ice cold at 14.3% on only seven attempts. The Suns won the rebounding battle 42-31 and the turnover battle 13-18.
And they did it all without new guard Aaron Brooks, who was not able to suit up in time and will meet the team in Indianapolis when they play the Pacers on Sunday.
Perhaps the strong-handed victory is a good sign for the newly-vitalized team. If they're going to take advantage of playoff rival Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets losing their franchise players to the Eastern Conference, Phoenix is going to have to beat the mediocre teams and continue to pull out the surprise victories over quality squads, as they've had a tendency to do this season.