Tuesday night in Portland, and a late one at that, the Suns came out flat. Really flat. Like a team that knew it was a quick one-game hop to Rip City before heading back home and treated it accordingly. The opening stretch was brutal. One of the worst quarters of basketball they have played all season, at least for the first half of it. They found their footing late, but not before staring at a 41-30 deficit.
For the second straight game, the paint was a problem. A big one. Second-chance points piled
up fast. 23 of them in the first half alone, fueled by 11 offensive rebounds. And then came the stat that made you double-take. Portland, the worst three-point shooting team in the league, went 13-of-30 from deep. When everything that can go wrong does go wrong, that is usually what it looks like. And for the first time this season, it genuinely felt like the effort was missing.
Here is the contrast. You still cannot bury this team.
Even before halftime, the Suns started clawing. Down 19 at one point, they trimmed it to five by the break. The second half was a different story altogether. Their brand of basketball finally arrived, even if it took an extra quarter to unpack. And once again, the third quarter was the turning point. They outscored the Blazers 34-22 and flipped the entire feel of the game.
Consistency is the standard, and that is where the Suns reasserted themselves after halftime. This was a strange game. The late start played a role. So did the sluggish opening. This team usually brings its effort wire to wire, and you rarely see them come out as flat as they did. But the defining trait of this season showed itself again. The ability to recover. To settle. To respond.
That showed up in Portland. And it continues to be the reason this team keeps finding its way out of uncomfortable nights.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
The matchup against the Clippers was a descent into pure basketball sludge, yet Grayson Allen clawed his way through the wreckage to emerge as the Bright Side Baller.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 51 against the Trail Blazers. Here are your nominees:
Collin Gillespie
30 points (10-of-17, 8-of-14 3PT, 2-of-2 FT), 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, +5 +/-
Mark Williams
24 points (11-of-14, 0-of-0 3PT, 2-of-3 FT), 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, -7 +/-
Grayson Allen
24 points (9-of-18, 6-of-11 3PT), 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, +1 +/-
Jordan Goodwin
16 points (6-of-9, 2-of-4 3PT, 2-of-4 FT), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 0 turnovers, +9 +/-
Royce O’Neale
11 points (5-of-12, 1-of-5 3PT), 7 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, +2 +/-
Dillon Brooks
11 points (3-of-16, 1-of-4 3PT, 4-of-4 FT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, -4 +/-
‘Twas a late night in Rip City. Who gets your vote?
