Devin Booker scored 19 points and the Phoenix Suns shook off a sluggish first half before dominating the final two quarters, rolling past the Portland Trail Blazers 127–110 on Tuesday night.
Collin Gillespie came off the bench to match Booker with 19 points, sparking a Phoenix surge that saw the Suns lead by as many as 25 after halftime. With the game in hand, head coach Jordan Ott rested Booker for the entire fourth quarter.
Shaedon Sharpe led Portland with 29 points on a night the Blazers were without Jerami Grant (illness) and Jrue Holiday (calf soreness). Rookie center Yang Hansen, returning from a stint with the G League’s Rip City Remix, played his first NBA minutes since Oct. 29 and earned a loud ovation for a powerful second-quarter dunk. The 7-foot first-rounder finished with nine points.
Phoenix rebounded from Sunday’s disappointing loss to Atlanta, when the Suns blew a 22-point lead to end a five-game win streak. This time, they steadied themselves after Portland closed the gap. Booker pushed the Suns up 64–53 late in the second quarter before the Blazers responded with an 8–0 run to trim the halftime deficit to 64–61.
But the third quarter belonged entirely to Phoenix. A 16–2 burst capped by a Ryan Dunn dunk stretched the lead to 80–63, and the Suns never allowed Portland to threaten again. The Blazers shot just 10-of-41 from beyond the arc (24.4%) and have now lost three straight and five of six.
Dillon Brooks added 12 points and four assists for Phoenix, recording the 1,000th assist of his career in the first half.
Up Next:
*Suns: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Trail Blazers: Host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.*
