Phoenix Suns rout Portland Trail Blazers 102-77 - NBA Recap
After a disappointing defeat at the hands of Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, Phoenix Suns came back strongly and bulldozed the surging Portland Trail Blazers 102-77, to improve their record to 3-4.
The 37 years old Steve Nash proved once again, why he is still amongst the best point guards in the league by shooting 100 % of his shots. Nash shot 7 for 7 from the floor including 2 for 2 from outside the arc and 1 for 1 from
the charity stripe.
He got the team off to a dominant start and ended the game with 17 points and 9 assists in 28:26 minutes. Jared Dudley led the Suns with a game high 18 points while Marcin Gortat had 12 points on 6 for 8 from the floor and 8 rebounds.
Not only the starting lineup of Phoenix, but the reserves put on a good show on the night as well. Shannon Brown pounded 14; Markieff Morris registered 13 while Hakim Warrick finished with 12 points on 4 for 8 from inside the arc.
The Suns were outstanding without a doubt, but Portland made them look extraordinary.
They were out of all sorts and looked nothing like the team that had a 5-1 record before this game. Their shooting was a disastrous 25 – for - 77 from the floor including 2 – for - 19 from downtown and were also outrebounded 38-47.
Except LaMarcus Aldridge, who accumulated 14 points, no other player from the starting lineup performed. Nicolas Batum came off the bench and scored 12, but he was erratic just like the rest and shot just 4 for 13 from the floor.
Jamal Crawford (10), the only other player with scores in double digits was even worse with 3 for 14.
A 14-4 run from Suns after the scores were 12-10 in the first four minutes, put them in a commanding position and they finished the first quarter with an 11 point lead at 30-19.
Nash and company carried the momentum into the second frame and kept the offbeat Blazers under pressure. Not at any instance, did the lead come down to single digits, courtesy of an awful shooting show by Trail Blazers.
By the end of the third frame, the lead had reached 19 points and the fate of the game had already been decided. The trend continued in the last frame, even with the Suns mostly having reserves on the court.
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