Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com

The Toronto Raptors smartly handled their NBA awards business on Monday evening.

Prior to a 104-100 victory against the Phoenix Suns, the team held a pre-game media availability for reserve guard Lou Williams. Fresh off scoring a career-high 36 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Williams was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Had Williams' moment for the cameras waited, he would have had to share the stage with another career-high performer.

Big man Jonas Valanciunas led the way offensively against the Suns. Scoring a career-best 27 points to go with 11 rebounds and two blocked shots, Valanciunas’ size simply overwhelmed a young Phoenix frontline.

The performance -- following Williams' scoring outburst on Saturday night -- was a good reminder that roster depth has helped power the Raptors' 12-2 start. There was plenty of credit to go around during Toronto's fifth straight win.

While Valanciunas had a huge night, Kyle Lowry had the play of the game when he poked the ball away from Suns guard Isaiah Thomas with 23 seconds on the clock and the Raptors leading by two. DeMar DeRozan iced the victory with four straight free throws with under a minute remaining. Lowry also had an end-to-end sequence to remember, leaving teammate Chuck Hayes amazed and the crowd buzzing with MVP chants.

“He had a sequence where he got the block, loose ball, got the steal, got the assist and then the charge,” Hayes said. “Unbelievable. That shows our leader, man.”

“It’s a hell of an unselfish team,” Lowry said. “It’s a team where it doesn’t matter who is most successful. Everybody wants to win games.”

Most important, the team is finding ways to win games. Whether it’s Williams coming off the bench to provide a spark, Patrick Patterson making calm plays down the stretch or Hayes bringing a steadying presence when needed, they are learning how much more can be accomplished when everyone contributes.

“Each night is going to be a different story and each night there is going to be a different star of the story,” Casey said. “Everybody has to step up when their chances come. We try to run things that go with the guys that have it going.”

Lots of teams try to do this. It’s filling a locker room with players who are primarily concerned with winning rather than individual success that few are able to do.

What stands out about this group of players is how much they genuinely like each other’s company. After Bruno Caboclo’s NBA debut, the locker room was filled with teammates chanting his name and teasing him about the media waiting to speak with him. Williams took a photo of Caboclo’s media scrum so the rookie could send it to his mother.

The players flooded Instagram with group photos after the win in Cleveland on Saturday night. James Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough didn’t make the trip due to injuries, but were following along from home. Lowry’s caption was “I love my teammates.” He also included a hashtag with a shout out to the two back home in Toronto.

This team’s bond even extends to small courtesies. Prior to Monday night’s game against the Suns, Johnson was talking to Terrence Ross about borrowing a pair of his Jordans. After the victory, Valanciunas and Williams had the team’s media relations director take photos of the two posing in front of their lockers.

The vibe in the locker room is an easy one. Of course, everything is easier when you’re winning. What is promising is the team’s belief in each another as well as what they can accomplish by coming together as one.

Despite the hot start, leaders DeRozan and Lowry swear the Raptors are not getting caught up in looking at records and are continuing to take things one game at a time.

“When we win, we still have very serious conversations about how we can get better,” Williams said. “Guys hang out a lot off the court in this group just talking about things we can do to turn that page, go to the next step and get to that next level. The culture has been building and it’s a positive experience.”