The Phoenix Suns lost to the Portland Trailblazers 114-110 Tuesday night in the 7/8 play-in game. The Suns were down as much as 14, but stormed back to take an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, but allowed Deni Avdija and company to close it late. Avdija led all scorers with 41. Jalen Green led the Suns with 35.
After spending nearly the entirety of the season in the seventh seed, the Suns will not be ending it there. A disappointing outcome considering how consistently they held the position and
the gap that they held in the standings from the eighth seed. Portland will now face the two-seeded San Antonio Spurs
Awaiting the results of the Clippers/Warriors game tomorrow night, the Suns’ season comes down to Friday night, where with a win they’ll play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round as the eighth seed, and with a loss, their surprising season comes to an end.
Game Flow
First Half
Phoenix struck first, getting Scoot Henderson into early foul trouble and taking an 8-2 lead. The two teams traded baskets early on, as both teams played at a fast pace with the Mortgage Matchup Center roaring. Phoenix started the game 9/11 from the field with Jalen Green leading the attack with 10 points on 4/4 shooting. Considering his experience in big playoff and Olympic games, it was no surprise to see Jrue Holiday get off to a strong start for Portland, he had 11 points in the first eight minutes.
After one, the Suns led 33-31. Devin Booker and Green had 2/3rds of the team’s points.
Deni Avdija started to get it going and spearheaded the Blazer’s 12-2 run to start the second, giving them their first lead of the game and forcing Phoenix into a timeout. After the timeout, Devin Booker re-entered the game and his hot start continued, scoring a quick two baskets, but the Blazers matched his scoring and extended their lead to double digits. What wasn’t helping the Suns was their inability to hit threes; the team went nearly 21 minutes to make their first triple, while Portland already had 10 by the 5:22 mark.
Being down as much as 14, Phoenix stormed back by the end of half and trailed 65-62 thanks mainly to Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Jordan Goodwin. Jalen Green completed a huge four-point play with a second left in the half to give Phoenix the momentum heading into the break. Phoenix hit four triples in the final 3:11 of the first half after hitting none in the first 20:49.
Second Half
The Blazers started the third on a 10-2 run, and Phoenix went cold as Portland built a lead. With Booker on the bench with four fouls, others needed to step up for the Suns if they wanted to get back in the game, and a few triples got the Suns within seven.
As the game went on, both teams played with more physicality. Bodies were flying all over the court, fouls got harder and the game slowed down. Booker returning to the game helped increase that flow as the Suns cut into the lead, and for the first time since early in the quarter, Phoenix cut the lead to three with 38 seconds left. A 13-4 run had the team down 83-82 heading into the fourth.
Phoenix started the fourth flying, Green hit two quick baskets and Brooks had a steal and score that forced a Portland timeout. The Suns stayed hot after the break, taking their first double-digit lead of the game and starting the final quarter on a 11-0 run. The only thing the Suns did wrong to start the fourth was the Blazers got into the bonus less than four minutes into the frame.
Up as much as 11, Portland went on an 8-0 run and cut the game to a single-possession contest with 4:14 left. Thanks to a flagrant foul by Donovan Clingan and a Jalen Green three, the Suns added some cushion to their lead, just for Portland to crawl right back with Devin Booker picking up his fifth foul in the process.
The final minutes of the game were intense, to say the least. Both teams went back and forth with the lead, but the Blazers got the last word. Deni Avdija’s and-one gave Portland the lead in the final seconds and they didn’t relinquish it.
Up Next
The Suns will host the winner of the Clippers/Warriors game on Friday night. In a win or go home game, Phoenix’s playoff lives will be on the line.
