The Toronto Raptors are starting to fall apart.
Not only have the Raptors lost three-straight for the first time since 2015, their two All-Stars hit the showers early in Sunday's 115-103 embarrassment at the hands of the Phoenix Suns.
DeMar DeRozan left for the locker room with an apparent ankle injury after stepping on Jonas Valanciunas' foot, while Kyle Lowry picked up a flagrant-2 for smacking Brandon Knight across the head.
Lowry told reporters after the game that the foul wasn't intentional and that he apologized to Knight for the play.
"It was not a dirty play at all. Honestly, I thought he was going to go for a floater, I swiped across and hit his head, he took another dribble. I'm not a dirty player. I already sent a text to apologize to him," Lowry said.
Both players have shouldered a tremendous burden for the Raptors this season, but fatigue and frustration is starting to take its toll. Lowry picked up a technical foul prior to his ejection, while DeRozan also took his turn jawing at officials following several of his wayward fourth-quarter heaves.
Meanwhile, the Raptors were in the midst of a fourth-quarter meltdown.
Having led for nearly all of the first three quarters, the Raptors folded in crunch time and allowed the Suns to win the final frame by a 33-18 edge.
To make matters worse, several fans at Air Canada Centre were ejected late in the fourth for throwing objects at the Suns' bench. Nobody was hurt, but security personnel were summoned and the game endured a short delay.
The loss on Sunday was Toronto's eighth in their last 14 games. Its grip over the second seed in the East following a hot start is suddenly tenuous as the Boston Celtics are starting to close the gap.
