For several minutes in the second quarter against the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night, the Portland Trail Blazers flashed a show of brilliance that got them back into their game and reminded us what this team can look like when things are going well.
The Blazers used a 21-4 run to turn a 17-point deficit into a 42-42 tie at the 6:07 mark of the second quarter and trailed just 56-51 at halftime.
But nothing about that run screamed “sustainable,” and the Blazers ultimately lost 120-107.
The Blazers, the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA, hit on 7 of 14 threes in the quarter and the Suns, led by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, shot just 27.8% from the field.
So, it was no surprise that the vastly superior Suns got their act together and won the game despite the Blazers giving their best effort to somewhat stick around.
Nevertheless, on the positive side, the Blazers welcomed back Malcolm Brogdon, who missed five games with a hamstring injury. He scored 11 points in that strong second quarter and finished with 19 points and five assists.
Deandre Ayton returned to Phoenix where he played five seasons and clearly took the matchup to heart. He scored 10 points during an aggressive first quarter and finished with 18 with eight rebounds and four assists. Ayton hit on 9 of 14 shots but attempted just three in the second half.
The Blazers were led with 26 from Jerami Grant who hit on 5 of 8 threes.
But that trio proved no match for the Suns’ offense, which shot 56.6% from the field, racked up 26 assists and generated 28 free throws with 27 makes. Kevin Durant led the Suns with 31 points with nine assists while Devin Booker finished with 28 points and six assists. Combined, they shot 22 of 41 from the field.
The Blazers (3-11) fell to 1-3 in the In-Season Tournament, for what that’s worth. The loss knocked the Blazers into a tie for the worst record in the Western Conference with San Antonio (3-11). The Blazers have now lost eight consecutive games and have not won a road game since Nov. 1 at Detroit (110-101).
SHAEDON SHARPE STRUGGLES
Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe has been in a bit of a funk lately and that continued at Phoenix. He shot just 3 of 13 from the field for 10 points and missed all five of his three-point attempts. He also committed four turnovers.
Over his last five games, Sharpe has shot 24 of 66 from the field (36.4%)
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