The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t played nearly good enough lately to justify expectations that they would overcome the Phoenix Suns at the Moda Center on Tuesday night.
They naturally accomplished that, and it required a great deal of perseverance to win 109-104.
The Sun’s Kevin Durant and Devin Booker scoring tandem dominated the first half of the game, but the Blazers played one of their cleanest halves of the year in the second half.
The Suns dominated the first quarter 36-20, but the Blazers drew to within 45-43 on an Ayton jumper in the second quarter. Then, as if angered, the Suns cranked up the offense with a 16-6 run to end the first half up 61-49.
The Blazers began the third quarter by going on a 14-3 run and soon after took a 68-67 lead on a Malcolm Brogdon three-pointer midway through the quarter. By the end of the quarter, the Blazers owned the offense by going 38-20 and shooting 54.6%, committing just two turnovers to lead 87-81.
Those trends continued in the fourth quarter and the Suns were helpless to do anything about it. The Blazers led by as much as 14 in the final quarter while continuing their hot shooting and ability to take care of the ball.
The Suns did make a late run to get to within 107-104 with 35 seconds remaining. But Anfernee Simons closed the door by hitting a short one-handed jumper on the right side of the key to put the Blazers up 109-104 with 10.7 seconds on the clock.
Simons led the Blazers with 23 points and Jerami Grant scored 22.
Durant scored 40 for the Suns while Booker added 26.
Blazers center Deandre Ayton had 16 points and 15 rebounds against his former team.
The Blazers shot 47.9% in the second half while committing just four turnovers.