Phoenix Suns: 5 takeaways from a momentum-building win against the Raptors

3. Ricky found his groove

It was great to see Ricky Rubio look in midseason form after joining the team late and looking a little off in the scrimmage against the Celtics. Against the Raptors, he came out much more aggressive on both ends of the court, and he quickly racked up 22 points and four steals in just 24 minutes.

A few of those points came from behind the arc (12 to be exact) as the Suns turned their shooting slump around and knocked down 18 on the night, more than their first two games combined.

You can tell by simply looking at this team how much his presence makes it better, but the stats don’t lie either. This season, when Rubio has been on the court, the Suns have a +9.9 offensive rating, and it showed against the Raptors, especially in the third quarter, when he led a series of sequences that featured absolutely artistic ball movement.

Hopefully, this extended break was just what the Spanish Maestro needed to re-energize.