Blazers Defeat Suns, 110-101

The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the host Phoenix Suns, 110-101, at Talking
Stick Resort Arena on Sunday. This game meant much more to the Blazers than the
Suns and that proved to be the case with this important Portland win. Despite
the Suns leading for the majority of the first quarter, Portland actually held
the lead for 40 of the final 42 minutes. Portland ended the game on an 11-4 run
to pull away and eventually win. Shooting was key, as the Blazers hit 50 percent
of their shots, while holding the Suns to 44 percent shooting. Rebounding was
also a big factor, with Portland winning that battle, 49-42. The Blazers (29-36)
are battling for the eight-seed in the west and to say this win was crucial
would be a drastic understatement. Damian Lillard was the star, as he led the
team with 39 points, six rebounds and two assists. C.J. McCollum finished with
26 points, four rebounds and four assists. Jusuf Nurkic was the only other
player in double figures, as he tallied 12 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and
three blocks. Al-Farouq Aminu was a nice spark off the bench, providing nine
points and 12 rebounds. On deck for the Blazers is a road matchup against the
New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. The Suns (22-45) had won four of six headed
into this game, but they couldn’t quite hold off a hungry Portland bunch. Devin
Booker led Phoenix in scoring, as he accumulated 28 points, five rebounds and
three assists. Eric Bledsoe finished second on the team, accruing 19 points,
three rebounds, five assists and two steals. Alan Williams came off the bench to
produce another double-double, totaling 12 points and 10 rebounds. Phoenix won’t
play until Wednesday, when they host the Sacramento Kings for their next game.