Portland outscored the Suns 27-15 in the final quarter, as the Blazers have consistently been one of the best teams in the NBA at closing out opponents. They put the ball in the hands of LaMarcus Aldridge, who went to work, and hit five straight shots to push Portland into a comfortable lead with five minutes left in the game.
The Morris brothers were feeling it in this game, as they combined for 34 points and 21 rebounds. Marcus Morris hit 3 of his 9 attempts from deep and the teams numbers would mirror that, as they shot 30 percent from three-point range last night. Eric Bledsoe scored 13 to go wth 7 assists, but the absence of Brandon Knight certainly hurt Phoenix's offense, not to mention Portland being an elite defensive team. He was a game-time decision, as he has been nursing an ankle sprain the past week or so.
Robin Lopez notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards for the Blazers, and Lillard added in 11 of his own. However, it was Aldridge's 27 that anchored the team and pushed them to their 46th victory of the season. With Houston playing hot and jumping into the three spot in the conference, Portland needs to be weary of teams like San Antonio and Dallas on their heels.
Nevertheless, the Blazers will not be a welcomed first round opponent for any team, especially with home court advantage. Their fourth quarter efficiency and execution leaves a small margin for error for those suiting up against them. In this contest, they held the Suns to 36 percent shooting from the floor and surrendered just 11 offensive rebounds.
The Suns are now 38-35, which puts them at 10th in the conference, 1/2 behind New Orleans. With the Thunder peaking behind the out-of-this-world play of Russell Westbrook, it seems both teams will fall short of the post-season. However with the Morris brothers, Bledsoe and Knight, the Suns have a good core group of players for the future.