The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns (14–13) 109–104 on the road on Tuesday night, despite the Suns having a significant early lead. The Blazers came back and took the lead in the second half.
Seven of Phoenix’s last ten games had ended in losses, while Portland (7-19) ended a seven-game losing slide.
Kevin Durant led Phoenix with forty points, just one short of his season best, with eleven coming in the fourth quarter. In addition, he had two steals, four rebounds, and five assists. Devin Booker led the club in assists with seven while scoring 26 points.
Deandre Ayton of the Blazers recorded 16 points, 15 rebounds, and three assists in the game against his old team. Anfernee Simons scored 23 points, while Jerami Grant scored 22, Portland’s top two offensive threats combined.
Phoenix’s 3-point shooting slowed down after the team played with ease in the first quarter to take a commanding 16-point lead on 70% shooting, including 3-of-6 from the field. When it came to stopping the third-best team in the NBA, they were 5-of-23 overall from outside the arc.
Phoenix’s road trip continues on Friday against the Sacramento Kings, who are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference.
Portland gains a three-quarter advantage with Durant saving Phoenix.
In the third quarter, Portland took an 87-81 lead, which they maintained into the fourth.
Devin Booker struggled, hitting only 1-of-6 for just three of his 20 total points, and Kevin Durant scored eight of his 29 points (12-of-20 shooting) in the period.
Thirteen of Jerami Grant’s twenty points for the game have come from driving Portland.
Malcolm Brogdon’s three-pointer at the six-minute mark gave Portland its first lead of the game, 68-67, as Portland outscored Phoenix 22-6 to start the second half.
One of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, Portland, made six 3-pointers in the third quarter and is currently 12-of-20 overall from outside the arc. With two minutes remaining, Portland took their largest lead of nine points. In the final minutes, Phoenix went on a 6-3 run, with a triple from Brogdon (11 points, three threes) to seal the victory.
