Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani's First Game Back Gives Raptors Win

The Toronto Raptors played the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night on the road. It would mark the return of Andrea Bargnani after a six-game absence. I recently wrote an article about how Bargnani is so important to this team, and it took one game to show why it was true.

Bargnani scored 36 points in 42 minutes as well as grabbing six rebounds, getting two steals and blocking a shot. Had Bargnani not been playing tonight, the Raptors would have gotten manhandled by the Suns.

Bargnani shot 48 percent from the field and 66 percent from behind the arc (10-21 shooting, 4-6 from three point line). It was his shooting from the free throw line that got the Raptors the win—he shot 12-12 from the charity stripe and made the clutch free throw near the end to seal the win.

Despite grabbing a low six rebounds, his sixth rebound was the one that ensured a Raptors victory, as it lead to Jose Calderon making a free throw to win the game.

The offense seemed much more confident on the court and the defense allowed less than 100 points, which is good in any team's book.

The problem with tonight's game was Demar DeRozan, who had a breakout year after the All-Star break last season. So far this season, despite some 20+ point games, DeRozan is having a very bad season. He is averaging a nice 14 points per game, which is lower than his sophomore year numbers, but the bad thing about this is that he is shooting 37 percent.

DeRozan really needs to step it up and make a name for himself. Although I am still a huge fan of his game and inside, everyone—including DeRozan—knows that he is capable of being a go-to guy sooner or later. I myself am still a firm believer that DeRozan can bounce back, but he has to try himself too.

Calderon also had a nice game, with 11 assists, but he needs to be more aggressive. Calderon can easily be a double-double player, but he needs to be more aggressive with the ball and shoot more frequently, because he can make it,

In other news, the Raptors finally end their eight-game losing streak but by a small margin, and none of it could have happened without Andrea Bargnani playing.