Tonight, the Phoenix Suns hosted the Portland Trail Blazers for the second time this season, and they came away with a convincing victory. Tonight, Phoenix played basketball that lived up to the high standards their supporters have come to expect of them.

Three Major Players Did Their Thing

Tonight, the Suns’ three-headed monster scored 49 points despite no player playing more than 20 minutes. Both Durant and Booker contributed 19 points and four helpers. In the first period alone, Booker scored 17 points. Bradley Beal had the lowest scoring output of the three with 11 points on 2-7 shooting. Beal also contributed two assists, one a spectacular dump off to his big man and a fantastic crossover move.

  

Defense in Place

The Suns’ defense was outstanding tonight. Defense was led by Jordan Goodwin of the Phoenix Suns, who recorded four thefts in his first four minutes on the court. Five Trailblazers, including three who played more than ten minutes, were held to fewer than five points by the Suns. In addition, Phoenix limited Portland to a below-average (for the NBA) 18.9% three-point shooting percentage.

Grayson Allen, rather than Josh Okogie, started today for the Suns. The two have been competing for the team’s fifth starting position. Allen scored 13 points and dished out two assists on 5 of 9 shooting. With 8 points, 5 boards, and 2 helpers, Okogie had a solid performance. Okogie played 21 minutes and Allen played 20; this is very close to being an even match. In fact, Josh Okogie had the best plus/minus among Suns players (+20). Allen’s plus/minus was a whopping +18.

The final preseason game for the Phoenix Suns will be played away from home. On Thursday, the Suns will take on LeBron and the Lakers in Los Angeles. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.