The Phoenix Suns (33-24) hosted the Portland Trail Blazers (27-30) at Mortgage Matchup Center on Sunday.
Both teams sat in the play-in spots with a big cushion.
The Suns sat seventh in the West, 11 games above falling outside of the play-in spot, while Portland sat 10th, the last team in the play-in spot, but five games ahead of eleventh place Memphis Grizzlies.
Portland was coming off their biggest loss of the season against Denver, while the Suns were coming off a thrilling double-overtime victory over the Orlando Magic.
“We sat down,” Portland Trail Blazer head coach Tiago Splitter said. “Today again, we watched film, we talked. They know they can do way better. There are moments that they need that, and you try different things with those guys.”
Despite that, Portland was dealing with heavy injuries, as Shaedon Sharpe (calf) was out, while Deni Avdija (back) was on Game-Time Decision.
“He’s going to warm up,” Splitter said regarding Avdija. “Probably a game-time decision there.”
Avdija led the team in points and assists, with 25 points per game and 6.8 assists per game.
For Phoenix though, it was way worse, as they were without Dillon Brooks (hand), star Devin Booker (hip), and Jordan Goodwin (calf).
Booker and Brooks were both averaging 21+ PPG, while Booker led the team in assists as well, with 6.1 APG.
It didn’t help that Grayson Allen (knee) and Jalen Green (hamstring) were on GTD.
“They’re going to go through this warmup,” Suns head coach Jordan Ott said. “Try to figure that out. Both of them feel pretty good outside of the general soreness. Trying to feel that out but they’re going to go through their warmup to see exactly where they’re at.”
Despite the heavy injuries, the Suns only had three more games before a one-week break that would surely help the team as most players were scheduled to return in early March.
However, Brooks’ injury was a big one, as he had suffered a broken left hand in the previous game against the Magic.
It didn’t help that it was back-to-back games, leading to a lot of injury management for Phoenix after a hard-fought game.
“We’re going to learn some stuff on the fly,” Ott said. “Starting tonight. Second night of a back-to-back, we’re going to try and to mix and match some different combos to see exactly what fits us.”
For Portland, if Avdija didn’t play, it could open the door to the likes of Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday or Jerami Grant.
As for Phoenix, they were going to need to rely on guys such as Collin Gillespie, Royce O’Neale, and Mark Williams, even if Green and Allen were good to go.
“I think they’ve done a great job with him,” Splitter said. “He’s a great offensive rebounder, a guy who’s helping their guys, setting screens, facilitating, finishing around the rim. He’s a big guy that’s playing well.”
The Suns also needed to look out for Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, who was averaging a double-double, as he had 11.7 PPG and 11.4 rebounds per game.
“It’s their whole team,” Ott said. “I think that’s part of why he’s able to find some space, because their whole team does it. Very similar to us. When we can, we’ll double team him, but not all the time can you double team him because they have so many guys. We got to take it from them.”
Before the game, Allen was ruled out, but Green was deemed available for Phoenix. As for Portland, Avdija was cleared to go.
However, just one minute into the game, Avdija was subbed off, before heading to the locker room.
Barely a minute later, Gillespie fouled Clingan but took a shot to the groin area. Gillespie stayed in the game.
Clingan was slow to get up and keep up with the transition game, as it looked like Clingan was holding onto his hand, leading to Portland taking a timeout.
Three minutes into the game, and three notable players had taken a shot or been subbed off.
After the first quarter, it was tied at 20.
Toumani Camara led the way for Portland, with seven points and five rebounds.
As for Phoenix, it was Jamaree Bouyea who had the most points, as he had six points coming off the bench.
“Ready to go,” Ott said. “Never know when your number is going to be called. Obviously, there was a game last night here. That’s what it’s about, they’re ready.”
Both Ryan Dunn and O’Neale also had four rebounds to their name.
Entering the second half, Portland was up 47-40.
Grant had the most points for Portland with 12 points, while Clingan trailed him with 11 points.
As for Phoenix, no player had cracked double-digit points yet, as Bouyea led the way with eight points.
“They have elite on-ball defenders,” Ott said. “They’re really good at it. We can continue to talk about the stats of them leading their individual guys, I thought in Portland we talked about it, everyone in the arena knew it, just not tonight.”
Despite the close scoreline, it was looking bad for Phoenix, as they were shooting 2-for-19 from three.
Three Suns players were 0-for-4 or worse when shooting from deep.
“We can’t get to the free-throw line,” Ott said. “We can’t get to the rim, got to shoot jump shots, but we’re going to have to continue to find ways to play in transitions. We want to get more shots up. It’s always going to be something.”
Entering the fourth quarter, Portland had a big lead, as they went up 71-57.
“Not a ton of possessions out there,” Ott said. “I think it was an overall slower paced game. This is not just a one-night thing; we’ve struggled to score for an extended period of time; we’ve struggled to score for an extended period of time. Continue to try to figure it out.”
Green led the way in scoring for Phoenix with 13 points, while no one else broke double-digit points.
“That’s a massive step,” Ott said regarding Green. “Play in the back-to-back, that’s when we’re dying to see us get in transition and get to the rim. That’s what we’re going to need more of, just somehow turning our defense into offense.”
As for Portland, Grant had 20 points and Camara had 12 points.
Clingan, however, had 18 points alongside 11 rebounds, grabbing a double-double.
Despite being down as much as 20 points in the third quarter, the Suns were looking to cut into that lead.
With four minutes left, the Suns were down 11, but Portland always seemed one step ahead.
In the end, the Suns couldn’t mount a comeback, losing 92-77.
Grant and Clingan led the way for the Trail Blazers with 23 points each, while Camara finished with his own double-double, as he grabbed 12 points and 11 rebounds.
“Just his ability to switch,” Ott said regarding Gillespie. “We’ve messed around with it, just trying to add to our toolbox. Thought when he did get on the ball, you could feel his size. If you compare tonight to what he was in November, I think he did a much better job on the ball.”
Gillespie led the way in scoring for Phoenix as he finished with 18 points, while Green didn’t score a bucket in the fourth quarter, finishing with 13 points.
This was the lowest points scored by both teams in a game this season.
The Suns fall to 33-25 while the Trail Blazers jump to 28-30.
The Suns will host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday at Mortgage Matchup Center.