Portland Trail Blazers Crush Phoenix Suns For Second Time In Four Days

After losing five straight, Portland is finally back on track. They have won the last four now, two of which were against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are still in playoff contention but are over four games out of eighth place in the West with only seven games remaining. Also, they must face both the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors in that span.

Portland, on the other hand, clinched a playoff spot with their big win tonight. Now, they need to focus on playing like they did today to keep the fourth spot or even take the third from Houston, who is now without Patrick Beverley for the rest of the season.

Both teams came out hot in the first quarter, but only the Blazers were able to continue this in the next 12 minutes. Phoenix’s defense didn’t have an answer to LaMarcus Aldridge in the post, like most teams. Their form of double teaming didn’t involve much shifting and on several occasions great three-point shooters were left wide open beyond the arc. Portland finished 12 of 27 from three, a major reason why their victory was by such a large margin.

Another key part of tonight’s win was the assist to turnover ratio. In the first half alone, the Blazers had 16 assists, and by the end of the night, they recorded 26. Normally this many assists mean 20 or more turnovers, but they kept control of the ball for the most part, only giving it up 14 times. Phoenix didn’t turn it over much either, only 12 in the game. Most of those 12, however, came early in the third quarter when Portland made their big push to form a double-digit lead.

The Suns did see a spark of hope at the end of the first half when they finished on a 12-2 run. The gap was closed from 16 to six mainly because of lackadaisical defense from Portland’s starters. Whatever Coach Terry Stotts said to them at half really changed their play though. Each of the five starters came out in the third and couldn’t miss a shot. For the first time all year, they ran set plays almost like the Spurs do. The offense was flowing nicely, and open shot opportunities were formed within the three-point arc, something they haven’t been able to do much.

Four minutes in the quarter, the Blazers had scored 17 points to Phoenix’s four and it was game over. An eventual 30-point lead was formed and both teams’ benches came onto the court for the rest of the game. The Portland starters got a lot of rest, preparing them for a must win game against the Los Angeles Clippers, who could end up being their first-round matchup in the playoffs.