By Cody Sharrett
It’s only preseason, but fans at the Moda Center got what they paid for as the Portland Trail Blazers (2-0) topped the Phoenix Suns (1-2) 115-110 after trailing in the fourth quarter thanks to Noah Vonleh’s 12 points and seven rebounds in the final period.
Portland took a 87-85 lead into the fourth quarter before falling behind by as many six points in the final stanza. Led by the efforts of Vonleh and point guard Shabazz Napier, the Blazers regained a 105-104 advantage at the 3:51 mark to which they rode out the victory.
Newcomer Shabazz Napier led the Blazers with 20 points, including nine points during the fourth quarter, in the win. Damian Lillard scored 18 points to go with four assists in the win. Vonleh grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to go with his 14 points in his first minutes of preseason action for the Blazers. Phoenix guard Devin Booker led all scorers with 35 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the field in three quarters of work.
Portland now travels to Los Angeles for a pair of games with the Lakers on Tuesday and the Clippers Thursday of next week to continue preseason play. The Suns meanwhile head to Utah to face the Jazz on Wednesday.
