The Portland Trail Blazers are the only team to defeat the Phoenix Suns this season, and they have done it twice.
Portland will look to add another win over the powerful Suns when the teams finish a back-to-back in Phoenix on Saturday night.
The Trail Blazers won the front end in dramatic fashion on Friday night after Jerami Grant knocked down a fadeaway baseline jumper at the buzzer for a 108-106 victory.
Grant scored a season-high 30 points during a contest in which Portland let a 15-point, third-quarter lead get away and later went toe-to-toe down the stretch with a Phoenix squad that played in the 2021 NBA Finals.
And the Trail Blazers did it without their starting backcourt of Damian Lillard (calf) and Anfernee Simons (foot).
Grant’s winning basket came on a play that was drawn up as a lob during the timeout. But Phoenix big man Deandre Ayton was positioned to stop it so Justise Winslow put more air under his high-arching crosscourt in-bounds pass with one second remaining.
Grant was able to gain separation from Ayton to make the catch and knock down the shot. He was then mobbed by his teammates.
Suns coach Monty Williams was more apt to place the loss on his team being outscored 34-21 in the second quarter.
He didn’t have an issue with the final-second defense.
Devin Booker scored 25 points for Phoenix and Ayton had 24 points and eight rebounds after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury.
The loss halted a five-game winning streak and Booker is well aware that the Suns’ only two losses have come against Portland. The other was a 113-111 overtime setback in Portland on Oct. 21.
He also noted that the Trail Blazers fared well without Lillard and Simons. It was the third straight game that Lillard missed.
Portland coach Chauncey Billups said that you can oddly find a benefit when you play without your top shooters.
It is unclear if Phoenix will have forward Cameron Johnson available on Saturday. He injured his knee in the first quarter and departed after playing five-plus minutes.
Another issue for the Suns was that point guard Chris Paul attempted just four shots — making one while scoring seven points. Paul did have 11 assists.
Phoenix did receive solid fourth-quarter play from Damion Lee, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the final stanza.
