Still without Bradley Beal but with Kevin Durant back in the major five, alongside of course Devin Booker, the Sunson paper, were logically favorites before their trip to Toronto this Wednesday evening.
But against a team of Raptors catchy, nothing happened as planned for “KD” and “Book”, very clumsy (30 points in 30 shots for the first, 8 points at 2/12 for the second) like the failed evening of their team in attack (40% on shots), which finally lost at the end of the effort after 7 victories in a row.
Scottie Barnes, a two-way player in the making
The recipe for success for the Raptors? A major collective defense, illustrated in particular by the enormous work carried out by Scottie Barnes (23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks), who defended the two Suns stars all evening. In a convincing season so far, Toronto’s all-purpose winger certainly delivered his most complete performance, collecting the unofficial title of man of the match in his team’s locker room.
“ I do not know. I guess I have this inner fire within me. I had a lot of energy to give. I had a good rhythm, I kept it. By being aggressive, I found a form that worked [face à Kevin Durant et Devin Booker] “, explains Scottie Barnes simply. “ And it wasn’t just me. It was also OG [Anunoby]it was Pascal [Siakam]. »
His trainer Darko Rajakovic credited the good attitude of his young winger, whose potential is reminiscent of that of the most famous Scottie…
Congratulations from Kevin Durant
“ It’s simply a winner. Scottie Barnes is a winner. When you are his coach, you feel all his passion, his energy, which is infectious to the rest of the team. He does not shy away from any challenge, both offensively and defensively », appreciated the coach, who also did not forget to congratulate OG Anunoby, also very prominent in defense among the Suns scorers. “ Just like OG [Anunoby]he notably delivered excellent defensive work on Durant and Booker. »
The final word for his main “victim”, Kevin Durant, who like two years ago during Scottie Barnes’ rookie season, was very complimentary towards the Florida native.
“ He is becoming more and more established, as he gains experience, and inevitably he becomes a better player. “, concludes “KD”. “ Darko [Rajakovic] makes him more responsible with the ball in his hands, and we now see that he shoots 3-pointers with a higher percentage (37.9%, career record). »
Comments collected at Scotiabank Arena
