Not much can be said about a game in which the Phoenix Suns played one quarter, and rolled over the next three to lose by 38. The Suns shot a season low 37.2 percent, and ended up losing to the Portland Trailblazers 109-71. The Blazers had revenge on their minds after being blown out by the Suns in their first meeting this season 102-77, on January 6, 2012. Portland’s Gerald Wallace said, “They embarrassed us in their hometown.” The Suns were beat in every facet of the game, rebounding 58-41, assists 28-18, steals 14-9, points in the paint 52-36, second-chance points 19-0, turnovers 14-22, and shooting 47.3 to 37.2 percent.
The first quarter looked promising for the Suns, as they shot 52.6 percent, and made two of three from downtown. Grant Hill was on fire, scoring ten in the first, but didn’t do much else the rest of the game. He was the leading scorer for the Suns with 12 points. Gerald Wallace scored 10 for the Blazers in the opening quarter, and finished with 17. The Suns held the Blazers to 35.0 percent shooting, and led 24-21 after one.
Things went downhill fast for the Suns after the first quarter. It all started when Nicolas Batum drained a three for the first basket of the second quarter, and followed that up with a driving dunk to give the Blazers a 26-24 lead. Batum ended up with nine in the quarter, while LaMarcus Aldridge topped him with 11. Aldridge was the game’s leading scorer with 23. The Blazers outscored the Suns 26-9, as the Suns made just four of 19 (21.1%), and were outscored in the paint 16-4. Not one Sun scored more than two points in the quarter, as they went from being up three to begin the quarter, to down 14 by halftime.
The Blazers scored the first nine points of the third quarter, and before the Suns could blink an eye, they were down 23. The Suns continued their poor shooting, making just five of 19 (26.3%) in the quarter. Wesley Matthews scored all 16 of his game points, making six of seven shots, as he outscored the entire Suns team in the third. The Suns allowed the Blazers to score 10 points in the paint, and drain five of nine from three (55.6%). The lead expanded to 35 at one point, and the rout was on.
The lead stretched to 42, and in the closing seconds, Sebastian Telfair’s frustration got the best of him. After getting his shot blocked by Elliot Williams, Telfair received his second technical foul and was ejected from the game with seven seconds left. Steve Nash had just five points and seven assists, and Marcin Gortat missed out on his ninth straight double-double, scoring eight and pulling down ten rebounds. Robin Lopez did not play, as he was suspended in the Suns previous game for bumping a referee. Based on the way he has been playing lately, it would not have made any difference. The Suns gave up 24 points on 22 turnovers. The Blazers are a different team with Marcus Canby on the court. He is a leader on the team, and grabbed 20 rebounds in the win. This was the most one-sided victory between these two teams in their 42 year history, and the third worst defeat in Phoenix Suns history.
The Suns take on the Memphis Grizzlies at home tonight. With their playoff hopes fading fast in this shortened season, the Suns need to get things back on track sooner than later.
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