The Suns took care of business at home tonight, defeating Portland in their rematch. The victory tonight has given Phoenix Suns’ faithful even more confidence in their championship squad.
Three Major Players Did Their Thing
Tonight, none of the three Suns starters played more than 20 minutes, but the squad still managed to score 49 points. Durant and Booker each scored 19 points and dished out four assists for a double-double. The majority of Booker’s points (17) came in the first quarter. Bradley Beal had the lowest scoring total of the three with 11 points on 2 of 7 shooting. The first of Beal’s two assists involved a beautiful crossover and a terrific dump off to his big man.
Defense in Place
The Suns’ defense played exceptionally well. Jordan Goodwin, a defensive leader for the Phoenix Suns, had four steals in as few as four minutes of action. The Suns limited three Trail Blazers with at least 10 minutes played to five points or less. The Phoenix Suns were able to hold the Portland Trail Blazers to a below-average percentage from beyond the arc (18.9%).
Grayson Allen replaced Josh Okogie in the starting lineup for the Suns today. For the last available starting spot, both have been competing. Allen made 5 of 9 field goal attempts, scored 13 points, and dished out 2 assists. Okogie scored 8 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists. Okogie and Allen were evenly matched in terms of playing time, both logging 21 minutes. Josh Okogie’s plus-20 was the greatest among Suns players. Allen had a score differential of +18.
The Phoenix Suns will go the road once more for their last preseason matchup. The Suns will travel to face LeBron and the Lakers in a basketball game on Thursday the 19th. Time in Pacific Standard Time (PST): 7:00 p.m.