PHOENIX (AP) — Donovan Klingam had 23 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 92-77 win over the short-handed Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
Jerami Grant also scored 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting. The Trail Blazers have bounced back from Friday’s 157-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets to win five of their last seven games.
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The Trail Blazers built a 20-point lead late in the third quarter and entered the fourth quarter with a 71-57 advantage. With 7:36 left in the game, Collin Gillespie hit two three-pointers to make it 80-69, but Grant answered with a three-pointer to turn the score around.
Gillespie scored a Phoenix-high 18 points and Jaylen Green scored 13 points. The Suns shot just 36.9% from the field and scored a season-low 77 points in a 113-110 double overtime victory over Orlando at home on Saturday.
It was a sloppy game for both teams – the Trail Blazers had 21 turnovers and the Suns had 19.
The Suns made 2 of 19 three-pointers (10.5%), and the Trail Blazers led 47-40 at halftime. Grant led the Trail Blazers with 12 points before halftime.
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Portland lost its leading scorer just one minute after All-Star Deni Avdija aggravated a lower back injury. Avdija, who has been battling lower back issues for weeks, entered the game as questionable.
The Suns lost most of their regular rotation players, including All-Star guard Devin Booker (hip strain), forward Dillon Brooks (fractured hand), guard Grayson Allen (knee/ankle) and guard Jordan Goodwin (calf).
Four players combined to average more than 70 points per game.
Next
Trail Blazers: Host Minnesota on Tuesday night.
Suns: Host Boston on Tuesday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
