Portland Trail Blazers (43-40) beat Phoenix Suns (45-38) 114-110 on the road on Tuesday, April 14 in a game that stayed within 4 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Suns struck first, taking the opening quarter 33-31 and a 2-point lead after one. The Trail Blazers moved in front with a 34-29 second quarter, carrying a 3-point lead into halftime.
The Suns won the third 20-18 to stay in front, taking a 1-point lead into the fourth. The Trail Blazers took the fourth 31-28; the Trail Blazers finished the job for a 114-110 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Trail Blazers grabbed 31% of their own misses, while the Suns recovered 23.7%. In a 4-point game, the second chances kept adding up.
The Suns did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 29.1 against 19.3. The Trail Blazers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 99 possessions per team, the Trail Blazers produced 115.6 points per 100 possessions to 111.6 for the Suns.
The Trail Blazers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 30-18.
Who made the difference
Deni Avdija was the game's biggest individual force for POR: 41 pts, 7 reb, 12 ast on 15-22 shooting. His Game Score of 34.9 led everyone. His team was +13 with him on the floor.
Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 20 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl on 6-10 shooting, good for a 20.3 Game Score.
Deni Avdija (41 pts, 7 reb, 12 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Trail Blazers entered with about a 31% chance.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Phoenix Suns lead 4-3.
The Trail Blazers are now 43-40, and the Suns are 45-38. The Trail Blazers last five before this game: W-L-L-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.