Ja’Kobe Walter continues to emerge as a valuable piece for the Raptors

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In the Valley of the Sun, the Raptors were burned, exposed and embarrassed.

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So much was expected from the Raptors, who played so well in Denver until the Nuggets made the winning plays in the final minute, and yet so little was produced against the host Phoenix Suns.

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Disappointments such as the one that played out Sunday night are a part of NBA life, but not this late in the regular season and not with the Raptors trying to hold on to a top-six seed in the East.

All the fight, intensity, urgency and desperation they brought to the floor two nights earlier were nowhere to be found.

Missing in action was Brandon Ingram, who, hands down, had his worst game as a Raptor.

Phoenix blitzed the Raptors right from the hop and save for the occasional Raptors run the Suns were never threatened.

It was so one-sided that the Raptors at least got an opportunity to give embattled Gradey Dick an extended run.

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Jonathan Mogbo even got minutes, while the Raptors tried to get Ingram going knowing the game was so out of reach before the white flag was officially raised.

What a letdown, what a beatdown, what a way to drop to 1-2 on a five-game trip in the aftermath of a pathetic120-98 loss.

The following are three takeaways on a night the Raptors trailed by as many as 30 in the third quarter as the Raptors explored all options, including playing Scottie Barnes at centre, a night when Devin Booker lived up to his all-star status, a night when no Toronto starter played in the final quarter.

1. Walter’s Energy Invaluable

Down on the scoreboard with many players having their heads down, it was Ja’Kobe Walter who provided that much-needed jolt for the Raptors.

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When the Raptors went on a 12-0 run in the second quarter, it was Walter draining threes and drawing offensive fouls.

He was arguably the game’s best player during that stretch.

Earlier, Jamal Shead picked up three fouls in roughly the same amount of minutes.

His frustration led to a technical.

When he re-entered, Shead and Immanuel Quickley were on the floor together in a two point guard look.

As for Walter, the Raptors weren’t doing enough to get the second-year wing looks at the basket.

While Walter has looked good, the Raptors need to expand his game, which, for now, is limited as a spot-up shooter.

Had it not been for Walter’s 11 first-half points on 4-for-4 shooting, the Raptors would have been blown out.

Ingram, who attempted four shots in the first half Friday night, went 1-for-7 in Sunday’s opening 24 minutes, a stretch that saw him commit four turnovers.

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At no point this season has Ingram looked so out of sorts and so bad.

Ingram was a minus-25 in the opening half.

Much like they did in Denver to begin the second half, the Raptors featured Ingram on the opening possession.

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2. Inexcusable Start

The Raptors were simply horrible and ill prepared to begin the game, which should raise all kinds of red flags with the post-season right around the corner.

They dropped a two-possession game two nights earlier in Denver when the Raptors led by nine points heading into the fourth quarter and one would have thought Toronto would be intent on bouncing back against Phoenix.

Instead, they fell behind 8-0 three minutes into the game, forcing head coach Darko Rajakovic into calling a timeout.

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Not good, to say the least, when the Raptors should have begun the game with force right from the jump.

Clearly, the Raptors took the undermanned Suns for granted, which is another bad sign for this group as the regular season winds down.

Either way you cut it, the Raptors’ cavalier attitude was unacceptable.

Defensive breakdowns, a function of a lack of communication, which was a carryover from Denver, had the Raptors in a double-digit hole.

No energy, no sense of urgency, no excuses for the way the Raptors began the night.

It was simply unacceptable.

Equally unacceptable were the zero shot attempts from Jakob Poeltl in eight minutes.

The big man had zero rebounds before he took a seat on the bench.

So disjointed were the Raptors that the visitors trailed by as many as 17 points.

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When a team fails to match its opponent’s level of desperation and intensity it speaks to complacency and entitlement.

Predictably, the Raptors made a run, but their high level of play was required when the game tipped off.

At the break, the Raptors were trailing 66-48 as the Suns made 11 of their 19 three-pointers.

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3. Sun Rise or Setting?

With the days of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal playing alongside Booker in the past, the most recent present has provided some encouraging signs for the Suns.

Along comes a 122-115 loss in Toronto, which triggered a five-game losing streak, and along comes some injuries and suddenly Phoenix seems destined to appear in the play-in tournament.

Had things not turned south, it was quite possible the Suns would have been competing for a top-six seed in the West.

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Sunday’s tip was the second of a home back-to-back for the Suns, who lost to Milwaukee 108-105.

Phoenix was missing six players when the Raptors visited Mortgage Matchup Center, including three rotational players.

When the Suns are draining threes, playing with boundless energy and getting out in transition, they can be good.

The question is whether it’s sustainable with the current makeup of the roster.

Up Next

Utah is not good and some of its very good players, namely Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and Jaren Jackson Jr., won’t be available when the Raptors are in town for a Monday night tip; fans will get a chance to see rookie Ace Bailey, whom the Jazz drafted fifth overall and who has been able to embrace a bigger offensive role in the wake of the many injuries; still, this a game the Raptors should win, perhaps in a cakewalk if the right frame of mind is summoned.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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