Recap: Phoenix vs. Portland
Sports Network | March 22, 2010
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Amare Stoudemire had 18 points and 14 rebounds, as Phoenix gutted out a 93-87 win against Portland despite shooting less than 40 percent from the field.
Steve Nash added 17 points and eight assists and Jason Richardson contributed with 16 points as the Suns won their fourth straight game to cap a 5-2 homestand.
Brandon Roy notched 23 points and Andre Miller scored 22 to go with nine assists for Portland, which had a five-game winning streak snapped. LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 16 points and Marcus Camby recorded 16 rebounds and five blocks.
The Trail Blazers entered the final period with a short-lived 68-64 edge as Stoudemire completed a three-point play and Jared Dudley's jumper to follow tied the contest at 72-all two minutes in.
The lead traded hands over the next several minutes before Dudley put in a layup and sank a three-pointer, allowing the Suns to go in front, 82-78, with less than six minutes remaining.
The Blazers were in the midst of a nearly five-minute scoring drought, and Grant Hill scored on back-to-back Phoenix possessions to run the lead to 86-78.
Roy ended a stretch of six missed shots, which included a pair of missed free throws by Aldridge, with a runner to cut Portland's deficit to five with 3:13 to play.
"They went zone and we didn't attack that. We stopped moving the ball and just didn't attack it," said Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan of his team's struggle to shoot the ball. "We were launching our jump shots from the perimeter and they weren't going in."
A sequence of sloppy possessions for both sides followed, and a pair of Phoenix turnovers inside a minute left opened the door for Portland.
Roy buried a three-pointer from the right wing following a Suns turnover to make it an 89-87 game with 21.4 seconds left.
Nash was fouled and made both to push the margin back to four, and Miller was unable to hit from beyond the arc as Phoenix controlled the carom as time expired.
"It was exactly how I thought it would be; It was a real grinded out game," said Suns coach Alvin Gentry. "We had a hard time generating any offense against their defense. I thought they did a great job, they were very active, and they took our post passes away from Amare."
Portland held down a 26-21 lead after 12 minutes of action before Phoenix reversed course to tie the game at 47-all heading into the break.
The game remained close in the third as Richardson hit two free throws before connecting on a three-pointer to tie the game at 56-all at the frame's halfway point.
The Blazers had won the first two meetings with Phoenix this season and failed in their attempt to sweep the season series for the first time since 1998-99...Portland also had a four-game win streak over the Suns come to an end...The Suns have won 10 of the last 11 as the host in this series...Portland had scored at least 100 points in each of its previous 12 road contests, the league's longest streak this season...The Suns have won 12 of their last 15 games overall, while the Blazers are 10-3 in the their last 13 games...Phoenix is 28-9 in the desert this season...Portland dropped to 19-16 on the road...The Blazers shot 36.4 percent from the floor and Phoenix just 38.8 percent...It was the first time this season the Suns won while shooting under 40 percent (1-2).
