Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Portland Trail Blazers used a lights-out third quarter to upend the Phoenix Suns on Monday, 109-86 at the Moda Center.
Damian Lillard paced a balanced attack from the Blazers, scoring 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting and handing out seven assists.
He led an offense that consistently broke the Suns down within the first few seconds of each possession, leaving a Blazer wide open over and over.
With the loss, Phoenix inches closer to being mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt. The Suns are now 4.5 games back of the eighth-place Oklahoma City Thunder.
| Portland Trail Blazers | Grades |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | B+ |
| Damian Lillard | A |
| Nicolas Batum | A- |
| Arron Afflalo | A- |
| Rest of Team | B |
| Phoenix Suns | Grades |
| Eric Bledsoe | C |
| Markieff Morris | C+ |
| Marcus Morris | C+ |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Portland Trail Blazers
LaMarcus Aldridge was a steady source of offense against the undersized Markieff Morris, getting his mid-range jumper off with ease all game.
He finished with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting and did a good job of spacing the floor for Chris Kaman and Robin Lopez's touches inside and Arron Afflalo and Lillard's drives.
After what was a pretty competitive first half, Lillard led the troops into battle, or more accurately, a massacre after the break.
He was the catalyst for a 37-16 third quarter that put the game on ice long before the final buzzer sounded.
Eric Bledsoe, who's typically stout on defense, simply couldn't keep Lillard away from the spots he wanted to get to.
Nicolas Batum: A-
With the playoffs around the corner and Wesley Matthews done for the season, Nicolas Batum is clearly peaking at the right time.
He's been excellent on both sides of the ball lately, but his shooting has been most impressive. Coming into the game, Batum was shooting 40.7 percent from three-point range and improved upon that with a 4-of-6 long-range display Monday.
He finished with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Arron Afflalo: A-
Afflalo's been tasked with filling the Matthews role, more or less, and he performed it excellently against the Suns.
He played solid defense against the bigger P.J. Tucker and ran him all over the floor on the other end.
Afflalo finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and went 2-of-3 from three-point range.
Rest of Team: B
Portland's center platoon of Lopez and Kaman combined for 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked two shots. Each one was able to control the paint when he was on the floor, regardless of who Phoenix lined up at center.
No other Blazer reserve managed to reach double figures, despite the entire fourth quarter going the way of garbage time.
Phoenix Suns
Eric Bledsoe: C
Bledsoe was thoroughly outmatched against Lillard. He couldn't keep him in front on drives and struggled to contest jump shots as well.
On the other end, Bledsoe was stifled by Lillard on a couple of occasions and struggled to counter Portland's help rotations when he did manage to get past the first line of defense.
He finished the game with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting, dished out five assists and coughed up five turnovers.
Markieff Morris: C+
Morris was often saddled with the unenviable task of defending Aldridge, and he just didn't have the length or reflexes to bother enough shots (who does, though?).
He was solid offensively, scoring 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting and hitting a few mid-range shots of his own, but he couldn't quite offset what he gave up.
Marcus Morris: C+
Markieff's brother, Marcus, was about as good offensively, scoring 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. And also like his brother, he struggled to keep up with his matchup.
Batum moved well without the ball and got himself open for several good three-point looks. Morris was a step or two slow on almost every shot.
Rest of Team: C+
A pair of Phoenix wings, Gerald Green and T.J. Warren, managed to do some damage off the bench. Each scored 13 points, but they picked up some of that production after the game was already decided.
Starters Alex Len and Tucker struggled. Len had just six points and four rebounds, while Tucker scored 10 points but shot 0-of-3 from downtown.
Coming Up Next
The Suns' next game will be on the road, Thursday against the Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m. ET. As if things weren't already tough enough against the league's best team, Phoenix may be without its starting center.
The Blazers, meanwhile, will be at home to take on the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. The matchup will be all about the two-on-two battle between Aldridge and Lillard and Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
