Green scores 28 as Phoenix Suns hand Toronto Raptors rare loss at home

TORONTO – Gerald Green scored 28 points as the Phoenix Suns beat Toronto 121-113 on Sunday for a rare Raptors loss at home.

Kyle Lowry scored 19 of his 28 points in the third quarter, but his standout effort wasn’t enough as the Raptors (37-28) lost at the Air Canada Centre for just the fifth time in the last 16 games.

Terrence Ross finished with 22 points while Amir Johnson had 20, DeMar DeRozan finished with 17, and Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 15.

Goran Dragic added 19 for the Suns (38-27), while Markieff Morris had 16 point and grabbed 14 rebounds.

The Raptors had been red-hot the past several weeks, positioning themselves for their first playoff appearance in six seasons. They’d gone an Eastern Conference-best 11-3 since Feb. 10 heading into Sunday’s game and sat first place in the Atlantic Division.

But the hungry Suns also have the playoffs in their sights. They went into Sunday trailing Memphis by a game-and-a-half for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

The Suns outhustled the Raptors all afternoon, leading by as much as 14 before taking a 96-90 advantage into the fourth in front of a crowd of 18,717 energetic fans at the Air Canada Centre.

The visitors pulled ahead by 15 a couple of times in the final 12 minutes before a basket and free throw by Lowry made it a seven-point deficit with 4:08 to play. But on the Suns’ next trip down the floor, Morris grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put the game virtually out of reach.

Rebounding proved problematic for the Raptors all afternoon, with Suns owning a whopping 45-26 advantage on the boards.

The Raptors’ frustration showed at times. Coach Dwane Casey was slapped with a technical for arguing a call, then DeRozan collected a tech when he kicked the ball in anger.

With just under a minute to play Lowry took a knee to the head from P.J. Tucker as the Suns’ forward was lunging for a loose ball, and Casey yelled frantically at the officials as the Raptors player lay on the ground.

There was plenty of energy from both teams in first-quarter shootout Sunday. The Raptors and Suns combined for 10-for-14 from three-point range. The Raptors led by as much as nine, but Marcus Morris drained two consecutive threes to put the Suns up 37-35 going into the second.

The Raptors went 0-for-8 to open the second quarter until a John Salmons pull-up jumper more than five minutes in. The Raptors ended the quarter with a 10-2 run and when Ross drained a three, and pumped one fist in the air, it pulled Toronto to within two points. The Suns led 61-59 at halftime.

The Raptors fell behind by 14 points with just under six minutes to play in the third, when Lowry almost single-handedly got them back in the game. He scored 10 points in the final 3:38 of the quarter and the Raptors went into the fourth trailing 96-90.

NOTES: Raptors forward Patrick Patterson missed his fifth game with an elbow injury. Casey said he will be evaluated again Monday. . . The Raptors are on the road for two games — Tuesday at Atlanta and Wednesday at New Orleans — before returning home to host Oklahoma City next Friday . . . The Raptors had won three in a row against the Suns before a 106-97 loss in Phoenix on Dec. 6.