Trail Blazers Tangle With Suns in Desert Showdown
The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Phoenix Suns at Walking Stick Resort Arena on Thursday evening.

The Trail Blazers (29-20) come into Thursday's game in the midst of a solid stretch in which they've won three of their last four games, and seven of their last 10 contests overall. However, the majority of their success continues to come on their home floor, as Portland sports just a 9-13 road mark. Their most recent stumble outside of Oregon came Tuesday night, when they dropped a 123-114 decision to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Damian Lillard led the way for the Trail Blazers with 34 points, adding eight assists, five rebounds and five steals. C.J. McCollum supplied 31 points, three rebounds, three assists and one block. Jusuf Nurkic generated a 22-point, 15-rebound double-double that also included one assist, two blocks and one steal. Al-Farouq Aminu mustered just four points but also hauled in 13 rebounds and dished out four assists. Meyers Leonard paced the second unit with nine points.

The Trail Blazers come into Thursday's game at full health.

The Suns (11-38) have been falling short in the majority of their contests lately, as they've dropped five straight contests, and six of their last seven games overall. Their most recent disappointment came at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, which took the second game of a home-and-home set by a 118-91 score Tuesday night. Josh Jackson paced the Suns with 27 points, adding 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Devin Booker supplied 14 points, four assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block before being ejected for fighting with Gorgui Dieng. Dragan Bender generated a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included two assists. Kelly Oubre, Jr. matched Bender's scoring total and added three rebounds, three blocks and one steal.

The Suns will be without T.J. Warren on Thursday after he suffered an ankle injury during Tuesday's game. Deandre Ayton (ankle) and Richaun Holmes (foot) will be listed as questionable.

Thursday's game marks the second of three meetings between the teams this season. The Trail Blazers hold a 1-0 lead, having notched a 108-86 win Dec. 6.
Posted on: 1/23/2019 3:28 PM
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