Mikal Bridges scored 29 points, Deandre Ayton added 22 points and 13 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns pulled away late to beat the Toronto Raptors 114-106 on Monday night.
The Suns won for the sixth time in seven games despite missing All-Star guard Devin Booker for the entire stretch. Neither team led by more than 10 points in a contest that featured 16 lead changes and five ties.
The Raptors trailed by nine to start the second half but scored 12 straight points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to take a 65-62 lead. Toronto took an 84-82 advantage into the fourth.
Paul finished with 19 points and nine assists.
Bridges hit a pair of mid-range jumpers late in the fourth to give the Suns a boost. He had one of his best games of the season, shooting 12 of 19 from the field, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers.
Toronto was led by Fred VanVleet’s 24 points and nine assists. Gary Trent Jr. added 21 points while Pascal Siakam had 19.
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Bridges scored 23 points on 9 of 12 shooting to push the Suns to a 62-53 halftime lead. Siakam led the Raptors with 12 before the break.
Raptors’ O.G. Anunoby (wrist) and F Otto Porter Jr. (foot) were out. Toronto shot just 9 of 33 (27.3 per cent) from 3-point range.
Suns guards Devin Booker (groin), Cameron Payne (foot) and Landry Shamet (foot) were out. Phoenix hosted a 53rd straight sellout crowd. Paul hit a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to give the Suns a 32-28 lead. Dario Saric added 11 points over 14 minutes off the bench.
Up next the Raptors travel to face the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night as the Suns host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
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