Trail Blazers Vs Suns: Blazers Stifle Shorthanded Suns, Lose Deni Avdija to Back Injury
The trail blazers vs suns matchup ended 92-77 in Portland’s favor on Sunday night, a low-scoring contest shaped by significant absences and a sudden injury that removed a key Suns forward after roughly a minute. The result matters because Portland reversed the defensive collapse that allowed 157 points in their previous outing and did so while containing a depleted Phoenix rotation.
Trail Blazers Vs Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center
Portland visited Phoenix and left with a 92-77 victory at Mortgage Matchup Center on Sunday night. The Suns were missing major rotation pieces—Devin Booker (hip strain), Dillon Brooks (fractured hand), Grayson Allen (knee/ankle) and Jordan Goodwin (calf)—a quartet that averages more than 70 points per game combined. The absence of those contributors helped produce Phoenix’s lowest-scoring outing of the season; the Suns shot 37% from the field and 26% from three for the game.
Donovan Clingan's presence and Portland shot profile
Donovan Clingan anchored the Blazers with 23 points and a heavy defensive impact: he is credited with four blocked shots in the game and was one of five Portland players who combined for 11 blocks. Accounts differ slightly on his rebound total—one listing shows 12 rebounds, another 13—but both characterize his night as dominant. Clingan also connected on three three-pointers in six attempts, added three assists and a steal, and played 31 minutes after missing the Denver game a couple of days earlier.
The teams struggled from deep all night. Portland finished 10 of 37 from three-point range (27%), while Phoenix was 9 of 35 (26%). The Blazers made only five of their first 20 three-point attempts and had 47 points at halftime; Phoenix missed its first seven threes and was 2 of 19 from distance by intermission, allowing Portland a 47-40 lead.
Deni Avdija exits with lower back injury
All-Star forward Deni Avdija left after just 59 seconds with a lower back injury and did not return. Avdija had been listed as questionable before the game and chose to play, but he tweaked his back while backing into the post in the opening minute and immediately went to the locker room. The forward has been battling lower back issues for weeks and had missed 10 of 16 games before the All-Star break.
Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson and turnover woes
Jerami Grant shared game scoring honors with Clingan, finishing with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 3 of 6 from long range and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line; he also recorded two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. Scoot Henderson, playing his sixth game of the season, logged 30 minutes—lifting previous minutes restrictions—and put up 11 points, four rebounds, six assists, four turnovers and one block while shooting 4 of 14 from the field, 1 of 6 from three and 2 of 2 from the line.
Both teams were sloppy with the ball: Portland committed 21 turnovers, and Phoenix had 19. Portland nonetheless built a 20-point lead late in the third quarter and led 71-57 heading into the fourth. Collin Gillespie hit two three-pointers to trim the margin to 80-69 with 7: 36 remaining; he finished with 18 points. Jalen Green added 13 points, and those two were the only Suns players to reach double figures.
Quick defensive rebound after Denver rout
Portland’s win followed a 157-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets just days earlier, leaving them less than 48 hours to fix a defensive debacle. The Blazers responded with a markedly different effort, generating 11 blocks and limiting Phoenix to a season-low point total. OptaSTATS identified a rare defensive accomplishment achieved by Portland in this turnaround, though the specific detail of that feat is unclear in the provided context.
What makes this notable is how rapidly the Blazers shifted from conceding 157 points to suffocating a shorthanded opponent, an adjustment that carried measurable outcomes: lower opponent field-goal percentage, numerous rejections at the rim and control of the tempo despite poor three-point shooting.
Portland improves on the ledger as well: the team is 28-30 and has won five of its last seven games, while Phoenix sits at 33-25. The Trail Blazers will return home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night; one schedule listing shows a 7pm Pacific start for that meeting.
