The Phoenix Suns entered Tuesday's 109-104 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers looking to be part of a group that responded to a rough few weeks of basketball and deserved a reality check.
And then the same team came out.
The worst part of this effort was that the Suns did what worked and saw the benefits of a connected defense, thereby increasing the tempo on offense. A 36-20 score in the first quarter suggested that Phoenix (14-13) was responding to their poor form of late, and if that mindset continued as the game progressed, they would post their best overall performance in nearly a year Month.
The second quarter was a bit rocky, but the Suns were still in a good position before complete malaise befell them at halftime. They were drenched and not only had a high offensive tempo, but also movement and action at the start of the quarter. The defense returned to last week's level and Portland (7:19) beat the Suns 38:20.
Where is the urgency that was everywhere on the pitch in the first 12 minutes? The Blazers even had the same kind of lack of energy in the first two minutes, giving Phoenix an opportunity to push the game to 25 after taking a 12-point lead at halftime, but Portland saw the opportunity and took advantage.
There was a slight improvement a few minutes into the fourth quarter, but largely the same. And when the Suns figured something out with just four minutes left, the jump shots stopped falling and their poor half allowed players like Blazers guard Anfernee Simons to get comfortable, a great scorer who scored nine of his 23 points in the fourth quarter thanks to mostly good defense. The Suns trailed by 14 with 4:25 left, and it was too much for them to overcome as they desperately tried to stabilize. It was too late.
Phoenix got within five on an 11-2 run with 55 seconds left, and after Malcolm Brogdon's wide-open three-pointer failed to sink in the corner, Kevin Durant earned free throws in transition and knocked both down, making it a one-possession game 35 seconds before the end. Simons then hit a hard floater that was perfectly protected to seal it.
Devin Booker and Durant had strong performances in the first half, but both, like almost everyone else, contributed to the problems we saw in the second half, with the offensive flow particularly brutal in the third quarter. Phoenix attempted just 23 3s and made five (21.7%), a highlight of the lack of ball movement given the Suns' shooting and scoring threat.
Durant scored 40 points on 16 of 28 shooting to go, including four rebounds, five assists, two steals and five turnovers. Booker scored 25 points (11 of 25), three rebounds, seven assists and one turnover.
Grayson Allen felt like the only one in the Suns uniform who was fully engaged all night and made the most of it, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds and two steals. These were the three Suns players in double figures.
Portland shot 14 of 28 (50%) from 3.