Suns Ride Fast Start to Win vs Trail Blazers

The Suns secured win number 14 on the year tonight

Dec 15, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns point guard Tyus Jones (21) works the ball down the court against Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (G) during the first half of a game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images / Allan Henry-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (14-11) took down the Portland Trail Blazers (8-18) on Sunday night at Footprint Center by a score of 116-109.

The Suns came into tonight off of a morale-boosting victory over the Utah Jazz - while Portland suffered a crushing defeat when pitted against the San Antonio Spurs.

This was the second consecutive contest sans Bradley Beal - so Royce O'Neale was once again thrust into a starting role, and it ended up serving the Suns well early on.

Phoenix took a 33-21 lead after one frame of action following a Grayson Allen corner three in the closing seconds of the quarter.

Portland started to chip away at the significant lead - but a surge from Kevin Durant and role players reinforced a solid 57-51 Suns lead going into the half.

The third quarter began with a quick scoring outburst from Portland, but four consecutive three-point knockdowns in roughly 2 minutes of game action put the Suns back on top

Phoenix capped off the first 36 minutes of game time with an 83-79 lead.

The Suns expanded on the lead in the final 12 minutes of the contest, and eventually coasted to a substantive victory.

Key Performances

Devin Booker - 26 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST

Kevin Durant - 20 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST

Tyus Jones - 19 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST

Royce O'Neale - 13 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST

Anfernee Simons - 20 PTS, 5 AST, 2 STL

What's Next

The Suns are welcoming Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers to Phoenix for a Thursday night matchup.