Mikal Bridges was at it again Monday night.
After delivering in overtime of Saturday night’s win at San Antonio, Bridges scored a game-high 29 points and came up clutch again in Monday night’s 114-106 victory over Toronto before a sellout crowd of 17,071 at Footprint Center.
Bridges hit back-to-back midrange jumpers to give Phoenix a 103-100 lead with 2:28 left in Monday's win. Hitting 3-of-4 from 3, Bridges scored 23 points in the first half, the most he’s ever scored in a half.
Deandre Ayton posted 22 points and 13 rebounds in a revenge effort against the Raptors after managing just four points and seven rebounds in Phoenix’s 113-104 loss Dec. 30 in Toronto.
Chris Paul delivered 19 points, hitting 4-of-7 from 3, and nine assists while Dario Saric and Damion Lee each scored 11 off the bench.
Fred VanVleet led Toronto with 24 points as the Suns (27-25) and Raptors (23-29) split their regular-season series. Phoenix has won six of its last seven games.
Here are five takeaways as the Suns face Atlanta on Wednesday at home before beginning a five-game road trip Friday at Boston, which led the Suns by 45 points before winning by 27 in Phoenix.
Play of the game
Bridges was the star of stars for sure.
An explosive first half. Clutch play at the end.
Just looked like a continuation of the San Antonio win when he scored 25 points with eight straight coming in overtime to put away the Spurs.
Paul said ‘nice’ more times than a kindergarten teacher when talking the play of Bridges, but he may have hit the biggest shot of the night after what he called the biggest play of the night.
Up one, Torrey Craig grabbed a huge offensive rebound after a rare Bridges miss (shot 12-of-19) and found Paul, who hit a 3 to make the difference four, 106-102 with 90 seconds left.
Paul gave the Damion Lee “ice water in veins” 3-ball sign hitting the 3. Craig only scored two points, but grabbed three offensive boards with that one being one half of the biggest play of the night.
It's all for naught if Paul misfires from 3.
Then Ayton had a major tip-in off a missed Craig putback to give Phoenix a six-point advantage with 51.4 seconds left.
Game essentially over as Paul closed out a second straight win from the line.
Start to 2nd half
It happens.
It shouldn’t, but it does.
With a nine-point halftime lead, Phoenix yielded a 12-0 run to start the second half on its home floor to fall behind by three with a just little more than two minutes ran off the clock.
Toronto hit its first five shots of the second half as Pascal Siakam got it started with a corner 3 to beat the shot clock. Craig turned the ball over on Phoenix’s first offensive possession.
Cam Johnson was moving. Craig thought he was staying.
Phoenix and Toronto pretty much played the rest of the quarter even as the Raptors led by two going into the fourth, but the Suns had a chance to put it away — and didn’t.
Start the 4th quarter
Down two to start the fourth, Williams opened the quarter with a lineup that included two players in their first year with the team: Damion Lee and Jock Landale, two-way player Ish Wainright, a guy on the last day of his second 10-day in Saben Lee and Saric, who missed all last season with a knee injury.
Individually, not one of them could carry a team, but they all have two things in common.
Play hard and physical.
The lineup worked.
Saben Lee hit a tough shot in the lane to open the quarter. The Suns forced three Toronto misses.
Saric scored six points in the fourth with four coming on back-to-back buckets to put Phoenix up three, 92-89, with 8:09 left in the game, forcing Toronto coach Nick Nurse to call a timeout.
The Suns still had the lead, 95-94, when Williams came back with Paul, Ayton, Bridges and Johnson. They needed more physicality than skill and got it with that bench lineup.
When Booker comes back
Phoenix will return to its opener starting lineup that has only played six games together when Devin Booker (groin) returns. The Suns are 4-2 when Paul, Booker, Bridges, Johnson and Ayton start.
So what will the Suns do with the bench?
Depends.
Is Jae Crowder the only one they’re going to trade before the Feb. 9 deadline?
Landry Shamet (foot) and Cameron Payne (foot) are both out, but they could be on the trading block along with Saric. Plus whoever Phoenix brings in trade could become part of the rotation.
Until a move is made, here’s what the rotation should be with Booker back, Payne and Shamet out and Saben Lee’s second 10-day expiring Monday.
The Suns have to sign Saben Lee the rest of the season to keep him.
First man off bench: Craig for Cam Johnson
Next two: Bismack Biyombo for Ayton, Damion Lee for Paul. That moves Booker or Bridges to the one.
Next one: Paul back in for Booker or Bridges with Bridges or Booker finishing the quarter.
Can’t see Booker playing major minutes early, but Williams went with Point Bridges on Monday.
How much of that will he go to once Booker is back?.
Saben Lee’s finale?
The Suns won’t likely re-sign Saben Lee for the rest of the season, but he more than earned his money for two 10-day deals.
Another team should give him a 10-day, but don't be surprised if he winds up back in Phoenix to end the season going into the playoffs if another doesn't beat the Suns to the punch.
The Corona del Sol graduate played that well. Good luck, young man.
Have opinion about current state of theSuns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin atdmrankin@gannett.comor contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at@DuaneRankin.
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