Suns
Blazers bury Suns with 43-point first quarter in 124-83 rout
The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns 124-83 at Moda Center. Portland scored 43 points in the first quarter, never trailed, made 19 threes and outrebounded Phoenix 68-44. The Blazers start the season 1-0 and the Suns fall to 0-1.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 10 min ago01The story of the nightDecided in the first quarterThe game was decided in the first 12 minutes.
The game was decided in the first 12 minutes. Portland scored 43 points in the first quarter and held Phoenix to 12. The Suns never led, and there were no lead changes. The Blazers added 29 in the second quarter and took a 72-39 lead into halftime. Phoenix got nothing back after the break. Portland scored 35 in the third and led 107-66 going into the fourth. At its widest, the Blazers' lead reached 52. The fourth quarter finished even at 17 apiece, with both benches deep into their rotations. By then the only open question was the final margin.
02Lillard, Morant and Camara set the paceDamian Lillard led all scorers with 25 points in 23.9 minutes.
Damian Lillard led all scorers with 25 points in 23.9 minutes. He made 6 of 10 threes and all 5 of his free throws, and he had 6 assists against 1 turnover. Toumani Camara scored 18 on 6-of-9 shooting, went 4 of 7 from deep and finished plus-32. Deni Avdija had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, though he took 16 shots to get there. Ja Morant was efficient: 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 8 assists, 3 steals and a plus-33, the best mark in the game. Scoot Henderson scored 15 off the bench on 7-of-14 shooting, with 4 turnovers. Donovan Clingan added 11 points and 7 rebounds.
03Booker had little helpDevin Booker was the only Phoenix starter who scored efficiently.
Devin Booker was the only Phoenix starter who scored efficiently. He had 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting and made all 9 of his free throws. He still finished minus-43 in 29.4 minutes. The rest of the lineup struggled. Jalen Green scored 10 on 4-of-12. Dillon Brooks scored 10 on 4-of-11. Miles Bridges had 8 points on 3-of-11 and missed all 5 of his threes. Collin Gillespie went 0 for 8, all of those shots threes, and had 4 turnovers, though he also had 4 steals. Oso Ighodaro was the bright spot off the bench, with 8 points on 4-of-7 shooting and no turnovers. Khaman Maluach had 6 rebounds in 16.9 minutes.
04Where it was wonThe biggest gap was at the three-point line.
The biggest gap was at the three-point line. Portland made 19 of 47 threes and Phoenix made 6 of 31. The Blazers shot 47.9 percent overall to the Suns' 35.7. Portland won the glass 68-44 and kept the ball moving, with 32 assists to Phoenix's 14. The Blazers also won the paint 50-40 and fast-break points 16-10. Portland actually committed more turnovers, 17 to 15, but did far more with Phoenix's mistakes: the Blazers scored 24 points off turnovers and the Suns scored 11. Portland's bench outscored Phoenix's 38-30.
05What it meansPortland opens the season 1-0 with a lopsided home win.
Portland opens the season 1-0 with a lopsided home win. The starters did their work early and sat for much of the night. Lillard led them with 23.9 minutes. Robert Williams III added 10 rebounds off the bench in 15.3 minutes. Phoenix starts 0-1. Shooting is the immediate problem: the Suns made 6 of 31 threes, and outside of Booker their starters combined to shoot poorly. Rebounding is the other concern after Phoenix lost the boards 68-44. This was the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
A
A-
B
D
D-