Trail Blazers Vs Suns: Portland’s defense answers after Denver debacle
The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns 92-77 in a low-scoring affair that matters because it followed a 157-103 loss and came against a Phoenix squad missing much of its rotation. The game between the two teams — a classic trail blazers vs suns matchup in contrast to the Denver blowout two days earlier — was defined by defense, absences and an early injury to Deni Avdija.
Score, place and the basic line
Portland won 92-77 on Sunday night at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Blazers trailed and led at different points but built a 20-point edge late in the third quarter before settling for a 71-57 advantage into the fourth. Collin Gillespie trimmed the margin with two three-pointers to make it 80-69 with 7: 36 left, and Jerami Grant answered with a three shortly afterward. Portland entered the night with a recent 157-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets and had fewer than 48 hours to correct its defense.
Donovan Clingan’s impact and a note on his rebounds
Donovan Clingan was a focal point: he scored 23 points, blocked four shots and made three three-pointers in six tries while logging 31 minutes and contributing three assists and a steal. The game notes also record five Blazers combining for 11 blocks. Clingan missed the Denver game a couple of days earlier. Clingan’s rebound total is unclear in the provided context.
Jerami Grant and Scoot Henderson in Portland’s rotation
Jerami Grant shared game scoring honors with Clingan at 23 points, shooting 9 of 13 from the field, 3 of 6 from outside and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line; he also had 2 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. Scoot Henderson, playing his sixth game of the season, logged 30 minutes—removing earlier minutes restrictions—and finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 turnovers and 1 block, shooting 4 for 14 from the field and 1 for 6 from three.
Suns shorthanded and Deni Avdija’s early exit
Phoenix was missing a chunk of its regular rotation: Devin Booker (hip strain), Dillon Brooks (fractured hand), Grayson Allen (knee/ankle) and Jordan Goodwin (calf). Those four players are noted as averaging more than 70 points per game combined. All-Star forward Deni Avdija left after 59 seconds with a lower back injury and did not return; he had been listed as questionable before the game but opted to play, then tweaked his back while backing into the post in the opening minute and exited immediately. Avdija has been battling lower back issues for weeks and had missed 10 of 16 games before the All-Star break.
Shooting, turnovers and a claimed historic defensive accomplishment
The night was sloppy at times—Portland committed 21 turnovers and Phoenix had 19—and generally poor offensively for both sides. Phoenix finished with its lowest-scoring outing of the season, shooting 37% from the field and 26% from three-point range. The final long-range numbers were Portland 10 of 37 (27%) and Phoenix 9 of 35 (26%). Early in the game Portland made only 5 of its first 20 three-point attempts; Phoenix missed its first seven threes and was 2 of 19 from deep at halftime while trailing 47-40.
After allowing 157 points to Denver on Friday, Portland’s defensive turnaround in the 92-77 win was described as a rare historical accomplishment by a statistical provider; the specific defensive metric was not detailed in the available material.
Individual Suns scoring and Portland’s short-term standing
On the Phoenix side, Collin Gillespie finished with 18 points and Jalen Green added 13; they were the only Suns players to reach double figures. Portland is listed at 28-30 and Phoenix at 33-25 in the context provided; the Blazers have won five of their last seven games. Portland is scheduled to host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, with game time listed as 7pm Pacific.
