Suns Fall to Trail Blazers in Uneven Effort

The Suns were unable to capitalize off of a huge win on Friday night.

Feb 1, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Phoenix Suns shooting guard Bradley Beal (3) handles the ball against Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe (17) during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (25-23) fell to the Portland Trail Blazers (20-29) on Saturday night in Portland by a score of 127-108 in what was a disappointing showing on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Suns were once again fully healthy going into the night, while Portland had a myriad of players missing - namely Robert Williams II. That didn't matter much in the grand scheme of the night.

The Suns bounced back from a slow start offensively to end the first quarter with 27 points, although the defense didn't hold up the entire frame, as they ceded 31 to Portland.

Phoenix managed to take an early lead in the second frame of action, but a late surge from Portland reinforced an even stronger lead of 61-46 following 24 minutes of action.

The Suns were in limbo for much of the third quarter - before a Portland surge enlarged the lead to 20. The Suns trailed 98-79 with 12 minutes to go in the game.

The remainder of the contest saw little to no drama - as Portland coasted to the victory tonight.

Key Performances

Kevin Durant - 22 PTS, 3 AST, 9-18 FG

Devin Booker - 37 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 11-18 FG

Bradley Beal - 13 PTS, 3 AST

Toumani Camara - 18 PTS, 10 REB, 4 STL, 7-11 FG

Deandre Ayton - 24 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 11-12 FG

What We Learned

Right when the Suns look to be turning a corner, they seem to always have a come-to-earth moment. Tonight was just that. Although Portland has been one of the better teams in basketball over the last two weeks, it was inexcusable for the Suns to put this effort forward the night after piecing together their most complete showing of the season against the Golden State Warriors.

Phoenix has two more games ahead of Thursday's trade deadline - both will be crucial to measure where they truly are before making potential moves.

What's Next

The Suns will play Portland again on Monday night before moving on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.