Game ID: 22300363
Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers
Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at 10:00 PM ET
Moda Center, Portland, OR
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
POR 20 29 38 22 109PHX 36 25 20 23 104
PHX @ POR ScoutingPHX @ POR Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
POR availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Grant missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Mays missed 6 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Rupert missed 6 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Simons back 12/06 after 18, 37 min since (106% of 34)
BACK Murray back 12/06 after 4, 20 min since (91% of 22)
BACK Minaya back 12/08 after 7, 8 min since (71% of 11)
NEW Sharpe 33 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Thybulle 23 to 30 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 12/14 · 2 days' restOUT Grant missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Ayton missed 3 since 12/06, returns tonight: 21 min (64% of 32)
OUT Brogdon missed 2 since 12/08, returns tonight: 14 min (49% of 29)
OUT Mays missed 7 since 11/26, returns tonight: 17 min (98% of 17)
OUT Rupert missed 7 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Simons back 12/06 after 18, 37 min since (108% of 34)
BACK Murray back 12/06 after 4, 20 min since (91% of 22)
BACK Minaya back 12/08 after 7, 8 min since (71% of 11)
NEW Sharpe 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Camara 25 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Thybulle 23 to 31 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restOUT Grant missed 4 since 12/06, returns tonight: 38 min (114% of 34)
OUT Rupert missed 8 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Minaya missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 4 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Simons back 12/06 after 18, 33 min since (97% of 34)
BACK Ayton back 12/14 after 3, 21 min since (64% of 32)
BACK Brogdon back 12/14 after 2, 14 min since (49% of 29)
BACK Murray back 12/06 after 4, 19 min since (86% of 22)
BACK Mays back 12/14 after 7, 17 min since (98% of 17)
NEW Camara 25 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Thybulle 23 to 30 min over the last 5
POR availability going into 12/17 · back-to-backOUT Rupert missed 9 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Minaya missed 3 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 5 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Simons back 12/06 after 18, 34 min since (98% of 34)
BACK Grant back 12/16 after 4, 38 min since (114% of 34)
BACK Ayton back 12/14 after 3, 24 min since (74% of 32)
BACK Brogdon back 12/14 after 2, 19 min since (67% of 29)
BACK Murray back 12/06 after 4, 19 min since (86% of 22)
BACK Mays back 12/14 after 7, 17 min since (98% of 17)
POR availability going into 12/19 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 2 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Mays missed 2 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Rupert missed 10 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Minaya missed 4 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 6 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Grant back 12/16 after 4, 40 min since (117% of 34)
BACK Ayton back 12/14 after 3, 27 min since (83% of 32)
BACK Brogdon back 12/14 after 2, 22 min since (75% of 29)
POR availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 3 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Mays missed 3 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Rupert missed 11 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Minaya missed 5 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 7 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Grant back 12/16 after 4, 38 min since (113% of 34)
BACK Ayton back 12/14 after 3, 30 min since (94% of 32)
BACK Brogdon back 12/14 after 2, 24 min since (85% of 29)
POR availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 4 since 12/16, returns tonight: 5 min (21% of 22)
OUT Mays missed 4 since 12/16, returns tonight: 5 min (27% of 17)
OUT Rupert missed 12 since 11/26, returns tonight: 5 min (28% of 16)
OUT Minaya missed 6 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 8 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Grant back 12/16 after 4, 37 min since (108% of 34)
BACK Ayton back 12/14 after 3, 31 min since (96% of 32)
BACK Brogdon back 12/14 after 2, 25 min since (87% of 29)
POR availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Sharpe missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Minaya missed 7 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Badji missed 9 since 12/06, returns tonight: 2 min (18% of 10)
BACK Grant back 12/16 after 4, 36 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Murray back 12/23 after 4, 5 min since (21% of 22)
BACK Mays back 12/23 after 4, 5 min since (27% of 17)
BACK Rupert back 12/23 after 12, 5 min since (28% of 16)
POR availability going into 12/28 · 1 day's restOUT Sharpe missed 3 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Minaya missed 8 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Murray back 12/23 after 4, 3 min since (15% of 22)
BACK Mays back 12/23 after 4, 3 min since (19% of 17)
BACK Rupert back 12/23 after 12, 5 min since (28% of 16)
BACK Badji back 12/26 after 9, 2 min since (18% of 10)
PHX availability going into 12/12 · 3 days' restOUT Beal missed 12 since 11/15, returns tonight: 27 min (81% of 34)
BACK Durant back 11/29 after 2, 36 min since (95% of 38)
BACK Allen back 12/01 after 2, 36 min since (110% of 33)
BACK Metu back 12/08 after 2, 23 min since (192% of 12)
BACK Bol back 12/08 after 14, 1 min since (8% of 11)
NEW Gordon 28 to 35 min over the last 4
NEW Okogie 16 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Goodwin 14 to 19 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 18 min over the last 3
PHX availability going into 12/13 · back-to-backOUT Durant missed 2 since 12/08, returns tonight: 38 min (101% of 38)
OUT Allen missed 2 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Beal back 12/12 after 12, 27 min since (81% of 34)
BACK Metu back 12/08 after 2, 24 min since (201% of 12)
BACK Bol back 12/08 after 14, 3 min since (26% of 11)
NEW Gordon 28 to 34 min over the last 4
NEW Goodwin 14 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 20 min over the last 3
PHX availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Allen missed 3 since 12/08, returns tonight: 36 min (107% of 33)
BACK Durant back 12/13 after 2, 38 min since (101% of 38)
BACK Beal back 12/12 after 12, 30 min since (90% of 34)
BACK Metu back 12/08 after 2, 23 min since (190% of 12)
BACK Bol back 12/08 after 14, 3 min since (26% of 11)
NEW Gordon 28 to 35 min over the last 3
NEW Goodwin 14 to 22 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/17 · 1 day's restOUT Gordon missed 2 since 12/13, returns tonight: 30 min (109% of 28)
OUT Okogie missed 2 since 12/13, out tonight
BACK Durant back 12/13 after 2, 37 min since (98% of 38)
BACK Beal back 12/12 after 12, 22 min since (65% of 34)
BACK Allen back 12/15 after 3, 36 min since (107% of 33)
BACK Metu back 12/08 after 2, 20 min since (163% of 12)
BACK Bol back 12/08 after 14, 3 min since (24% of 11)
NEW Goodwin 14 to 23 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/19 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 3 since 12/13, out tonight
BACK Durant back 12/13 after 2, 36 min since (96% of 38)
BACK Beal back 12/12 after 12, 22 min since (65% of 34)
BACK Allen back 12/15 after 3, 34 min since (104% of 33)
BACK Gordon back 12/17 after 2, 30 min since (109% of 28)
BACK Metu back 12/08 after 2, 18 min since (146% of 12)
BACK Bol back 12/08 after 14, 3 min since (24% of 11)
NEW Goodwin 14 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/22 · 2 days' restOUT Beal missed 2 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Okogie missed 4 since 12/13, out tonight
OUT Bates-Diop missed 2 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Watanabe missed 2 since 12/17, returns tonight: 12 min (89% of 13)
OUT Bol missed 2 since 12/17, returns tonight: 3 min (32% of 11)
BACK Durant back 12/13 after 2, 37 min since (98% of 38)
BACK Allen back 12/15 after 3, 34 min since (102% of 33)
BACK Gordon back 12/17 after 2, 30 min since (106% of 28)
NEW Goodwin 14 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/25 · 2 days' restOUT Beal missed 3 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Okogie missed 5 since 12/13, returns tonight: 12 min (79% of 16)
OUT Bates-Diop missed 3 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Durant back 12/13 after 2, 36 min since (97% of 38)
BACK Allen back 12/15 after 3, 33 min since (99% of 33)
BACK Gordon back 12/17 after 2, 28 min since (100% of 28)
BACK Watanabe back 12/22 after 2, 12 min since (89% of 13)
BACK Bol back 12/22 after 2, 3 min since (32% of 11)
NEW Goodwin 14 to 21 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 4 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Nurkić missed 2 since 12/22, returns tonight: 14 min (52% of 27)
OUT Bates-Diop missed 4 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Allen back 12/15 after 3, 34 min since (103% of 33)
BACK Gordon back 12/17 after 2, 30 min since (108% of 28)
BACK Okogie back 12/25 after 5, 12 min since (79% of 16)
BACK Watanabe back 12/22 after 2, 12 min since (89% of 13)
BACK Bol back 12/22 after 2, 3 min since (32% of 11)
PHX availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 5 since 12/17, returns tonight: 30 min (89% of 34)
OUT Bates-Diop missed 5 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 12/17 after 2, 32 min since (115% of 28)
BACK Nurkić back 12/27 after 2, 14 min since (52% of 27)
BACK Okogie back 12/25 after 5, 11 min since (71% of 16)
BACK Watanabe back 12/22 after 2, 7 min since (50% of 13)
BACK Bol back 12/22 after 2, 2 min since (23% of 11)
NEW Metu 12 to 17 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 126, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Simons at 27 and Henderson at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Murray (2 straight), Mays (2 straight), Rupert (10 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 27 free throws a game; Booker at 30 and Durant at 28 a game. Without Okogie (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 119 a night to Portland's 126 and the line, where Phoenix takes 27 free throws a game to Portland's 21. Call it Portland 117, Phoenix 116, Phoenix keeping it close.
12/11 @ LAC 127-132 — POR notes
POR lost 127-132. POR shot 48% (43 of 90) to LAC's 55%, 19 of 40 from three. Simons led with 38 (10 of 23, 5 of 11 from three, 13 of 13 at the line); Sharpe added 27, Henderson 19. Q2 was theirs, 33-23, the deficit cut from 11 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 109-94 against them. Sharpe's -15 in 41 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/14 vs UTA 114-122 — POR notes
POR lost 114-122. POR took 11 more shots (103 to 92), fed by 21 offensive rebounds, but shot 42% to UTA's 53%, 16 of 45 from three. Henderson led with 23 (9 of 21, 2 of 7 from three); Camara added 18, Reath 15. Q4 was theirs, 38-19, the deficit cut from 27 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 103-76 against them. Camara's -24 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/16 vs DAL 120-131 — POR notes
POR lost 120-131. POR shot 50% (47 of 94) to DAL's 49%, 7 of 32 from three. Simons led with 33 (13 of 22, 2 of 8 from three); Grant added 27, Henderson 13. Q1 was theirs, 39-36, but the other 3 periods went 95-81 against them. Brogdon's -23 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/17 vs GSW 114-118 — POR notes
POR lost 114-118. POR shot 47% (40 of 85) to GSW's 53%, 13 of 35 from three. Grant led with 30 (11 of 19, 3 of 9 from three); Simons added 24, Henderson 14. Q3 was theirs, 35-24, the deficit cut from 16 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 94-79 against them. Grant's -13 in 41 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/19 vs PHX 109-104 — POR notes
POR won 109-104. POR shot 45% (39 of 87) to PHX's 45%, 14 of 28 from three. Simons led with 23 (9 of 23, 2 of 7 from three); Grant added 22, Ayton 16. The hinge was Q3, 38-20: POR came in trailing by 12 and left it ahead by 6. POR trailed 49-61 at the half and won the second half 60-43. Thybulle was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/21 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Grant at 26 and Simons at 25 a game. Without Murray (3 straight), Mays (3 straight), Rupert (11 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 133, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Kuzma at 25 and Poole at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Shamet (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Portland allowing 121 a night to Washington's 133. Call it Portland 122, Washington 117.
12/23 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Thompson at 25 and Curry at 25 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Green (5 straight), Payton II (10 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Simons at 26 and Grant at 25 a game. Without Murray (4 straight), Mays (4 straight), Rupert (12 straight). One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Golden State has been plus-6 a night and Portland plus-1. Call it Golden State 119, Portland 114.
12/26 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 119, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Simons at 29 and Grant at 23 a game. Without Sharpe (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Fox at 27 and Murray at 25 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Sacramento 117, Portland 116, Portland keeping it close.
12/28 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Simons at 28 and Grant at 20 a game. Without Sharpe (3 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 133, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Johnson at 19 and Vassell at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Portland allowing 116 a night to San Antonio's 133 and the arc, Portland at 42 percent from three to San Antonio's 35. Call it Portland 121, San Antonio 112.
12/12 vs GSW 119-116 — PHX notes
PHX won 119-116. PHX shot 45% (38 of 84) to GSW's 45%, 14 of 39 from three, and went to the line 34 times to GSW's 27 — 29 points from the stripe to their 18. The glass went 41-51 against them. Booker led with 32 (12 of 23, 3 of 6 from three); Nurkić added 17, Goodwin 16. The hinge was Q3, 35-31: PHX came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 1. PHX trailed 53-56 at the half and won the second half 66-60. Metu was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
12/13 vs BKN 112-116 — PHX notes
PHX lost 112-116. PHX shot 48% (40 of 84) to BKN's 46%, 9 of 28 from three. PHX turned it over 12 times to BKN's 7, and BKN turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 49-36 for them. Booker led with 34 (9 of 15, 2 of 6 from three, 14 of 15 at the line); Durant added 27, Nurkić 15. Q3 was theirs, 32-22, turning a 8-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 94-80 against them. Goodwin's -19 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/15 vs NYK 122-139 — PHX notes
PHX lost 122-139. PHX took 8 more shots (90 to 82), fed by 10 offensive rebounds, but shot 52% to NYK's 60%, 11 of 28 from three, and got to the line 21 times to NYK's 28. Durant led with 29 (10 of 21, 4 of 9 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Booker added 28, Nurkić 21. Q2 was theirs, 38-32, turning a 1-point deficit into a 5-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 107-84 against them. They led by as many as 10. Booker's -18 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/17 vs WAS 112-108 — PHX notes
PHX won 112-108. PHX shot 46% (41 of 90) to WAS's 41%, 7 of 31 from three, and went to the line 30 times to WAS's 20 — 23 points from the stripe to their 16. PHX turned it over 17 times to WAS's 10, and WAS turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 54-44 for them. Durant led with 28 (11 of 24, 6 of 9 at the line); Booker added 27, Gordon 13. The hinge was Q4, 31-19: PHX came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 4. PHX trailed 46-58 at the half and won the second half 66-50. Goodwin was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/19 @ POR 104-109 — PHX notes
PHX lost 104-109. PHX shot 45% (42 of 94) to POR's 45%, 5 of 23 from three. Durant led with 40 (16 of 28, 1 of 3 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Booker added 26, Allen 11. Q1 was theirs, 36-20, but the other 3 periods went 89-68 against them. They led by as many as 16. Little's -12 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/22 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Fox at 28 and Murray at 23 a game. One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Durant at 31 and Booker at 29 a game. Without Beal (2 straight), Okogie (4 straight), Bates-Diop (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the arc, Sacramento at 41 percent from three to Phoenix's 31 and the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-3 a night and Sacramento minus-2. Call it Sacramento 119, Phoenix 117, Phoenix keeping it close.
12/25 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 27 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 30 and Booker at 28 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Beal (3 straight), Okogie (5 straight), Bates-Diop (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 36 and Hardaway Jr. at 19 a game. Without Irving (8 straight), Green (11 straight), Lively II (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-6 a night and Dallas minus-3 and the arc, Dallas at 34 percent from three to Phoenix's 27. Call it Phoenix 118, Dallas 116, Dallas keeping it close.
12/27 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 25 and VanVleet at 19 a game. Without Whitmore (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 28 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 28 and Booker at 25 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Beal (4 straight), Nurkić (2 straight), Bates-Diop (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 34 percent from three to Phoenix's 28. Call it Houston 117, Phoenix 113, Phoenix keeping it close.
12/29 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 29 from three, 26 free throws a game; Durant at 28 and Booker at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Beal (5 straight), Bates-Diop (5 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 29 from three, 20 free throws a game; Rozier at 21 and Bridges at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Ball (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-9 a night and Charlotte minus-4 and the line, where Phoenix takes 26 free throws a game to Charlotte's 20. Call it Phoenix 120, Charlotte 109, Phoenix by 11.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXCM C. Metu
DB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
EG E. Gordon
GA G. Allen
JG J. Goodwin
JN J. Nurkić
KD K. Durant
NL N. Little
NU Nurkic
PORAS A. Simons
DA D. Ayton
DR D. Reath
JG J. Grant
JW J. Walker
MB M. Brogdon
MT M. Thybulle
SH S. Henderson
SS S. Sharpe
TC T. Camara
PHX/POR the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Trail Blazers erase 22-point deficit for 109-04 win over Suns
PORTLAND, Ore. -- — DeAndre Ayton had a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds, Anfernee Simons had 23 points and seven rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers erased a 22-point deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 109-104 on Tuesday night to snap a seven-game losing streak.
The loss for the Suns was their fifth in seven games. Phoenix’s Kevin Durant led all scorers with 40 points while Devin Booker had 26 points and seven assists.
Simons' layup with 10.7 seconds left helped stop a late Phoenix rally after Portland pushed their lead to 14 in the 4th quarter.
“I was trying to decide whether to go up with two hands or shoot a floater and at the last minute I switched it to a floater,” Simons said of his final basket.
Ayton played a game-high 40 minutes and put up a season-high 18 field goal attempts against his former team. The former No. 1 pick downplayed any extra motivation against the team that drafted him.
“I’ve just been focused on being a Trail Blazer and establishing who we are in this league," Ayton said. "I’m too focused on that right now. They were just in the way.”
“I ran some plays for him early to try and get him aggressive and going,” Billups said. “Of course you will have extra juice against your former team. But I thought the last couple of days that I needed to start playing him more.”
Jerami Grant also had 22 points for Portland, while Malcolm Brogdon had 14 points and four assists off the bench. Brogdon started the second half in place of Shaedon Sharpe , who left the game with a groin injury.
Portland was hot from the 3-point line all night, making 14 of 28 3-pointers to just five for Phoenix.
“They made nine more 3s than we did. It was pretty much even everywhere else,” Durant said.
Another reason for Portland’s second half success was taking better care of the ball. Portland had 11 turnovers in the first half, but only six turnovers after halftime.
Portland took its first lead since the opening minute of the game at 68-67 with 6:06 left in the third quarter. The Blazers outscored Phoenix 38-20 in the third quarter, helping them take an 87-81 lead into the final frame.
The Suns jumped to a 36-20 lead after the first quarter and pushed their lead to as many as 22 in the first half. Phoenix’s defense was the catalyst to their success as they scored 23 points on 17 Blazers turnovers.
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UP NEXT
Suns: Play Friday at the Sacramento Kings .
Trail Blazers: Host the Washington Wizards on Thursday night.