By Canadian Press

Bridges scores 29, Suns pull away late, beat Raptors 114-106

Jan 30, 2023 | 8:40 PM

PHOENIX (AP) — 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.

The game stayed tight from that point forward until Phoenix pulled away in the final minutes. Chris Paul hit a crucial 3-pointer to push the Suns ahead 106-102 with 1:30 left. Ayton added a tip-in with 51.4 seconds left to extend the advantage to 108-102.

Paul finished with 19 points and nine assists.

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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.

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.

TIP-INS

Raptors: G O.G. Anunoby (wrist) and F Otto Porter Jr. (foot) were out. … 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. … 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

Raptors: Travel to face Utah on Wednesday night.

Suns: Host Atlanta on Wednesday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

David Brandt, The Associated Press