Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers Match Player Stats On Oct 28, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Oct 29, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Phoenix Suns have come a long way since Oct. 18, when they were walloped by Portland 124-76 at Talking Stick Resort Arena -- but not quite far enough to pull out a win over the Trail Blazers.

Damian Lillard scored 25 points and CJ McCollum added 23 as the Blazers earned a 114-107 victory over Phoenix Saturday night at Moda Center.

"We didn't finish our shots down the stretch, but we put ourselves in position to win a game on the road," said Phoenix interim coach Jay Triano, who suffered his first loss in three games since taking over for Earl Watson. "I give our guys a lot of credit."

The Suns (2-4) were within two points inside the final two minutes before the Blazers (4-2) made enough plays down the stretch to win.

"I'm really impressed with the Suns," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "They've turned around their season in a short amount of time. It's certainly a different team than we played a week and a half ago. They have bought into what Jay is trying to do at both ends of the floor."

Lillard also had seven rebounds and nine assists in his 36 minutes but was only 7 for 21 from the field. Portland shot .440 for the game, but the Blazers' five starters were a collective 29 for 72 (.403).

"We had another game where we could have been much better offensively," Lillard said. "We didn't shoot the ball well. We defended well in spots.

"(The Suns) played with a new purpose, and we weren't nearly as consistent as we need to be to be the team we want to be. But we played well enough to win the game, and that's what's most important."

Devin Booker -- who turns 21 on Monday -- tallied 33 points to go with six rebounds and six assists for the Suns (2-4).

"He hit some tough shots and got to the free-throw line," McCollum said. "He's one of the best young talents in the league. He can do a lot of different things. (The Suns) know he's good, and they empower him."

Pat Connaughton came off the bench for 11 points to stake Portland to a 61-57 halftime lead. Booker had 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting for Phoenix.

Booker scored 13 more in the third quarter but the Blazers emerged with a 92-89 advantage heading into the final period.

The Suns got to within 105-104 on a pair of Tyson Chandler free throws with 4:08 remaining.

Nurkic sank a jump hook for a 108-104 Portland advantage with 2:50 to play.

Marquese Chriss converted a layup to cut the margin to 108-106 with 1:41 left.

Lillard sank a runner in the key to push Portland in front 110-106 with 29.6 seconds to go. He hit two foul shots to extend the margin to 112-106 with 22.1 ticks left to all but wrap up the triumph.

"The bright side is, we are finding ways to win games and not have it all begin on offense," Lillard said. "That has been what we've leaned on in the past -- to have an explosion on offense."

NOTES: Portland G Damian Lillard scored his 9,000th career point in the third quarter. Lillard did it in 402 games. ... Lillard has averaged 31.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists in his last six games against Phoenix. ... Phoenix interim head coach Jay Triano worked as Portland head coach Terry Stotts' lead assistant coach for four seasons (2012-16). "We're really good friends," Stotts said. "He has a great sense of humor, he's fun to be around and I have a ton of respect for his basketball acumen. His team is playing hard. That's a reflection of Jay and his attitude." ... Phoenix G Mike James, who had nine points and four assists Saturday night, grew up in Portland and as a senior helped Grant High to the 6A state championship in 2008. James, a 27-year-old rookie, played in Croatia, Israel, Italy, Spain and Greece before making it in the NBA. "Mike has done a great job accepting any role we've given him -- third team, second team, and now as a starter," Triano said. ... The Blazers' win over the Suns on Oct. 18 was the largest margin of victory in NBA opening-night history. ... Portland has won nine of the last 12 meetings between the teams dating to the start of the 2014-15 campaign.