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 After welcoming Nash into the franchise's Ring of Honor, the Suns
forced a fast pace and pulled away from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Their 110-92 win on Friday night evened their record at 1-1. The
Trail Blazers fell to 1-1.
The teams play again Saturday night at Portland.
"We're going to be tested again," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "At
least we'll have a good feeling going into that game."
Point guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight combined for 40 points.
Bledsoe had 22 points thanks to 10-of-11 free throw shooting. Knight
added 18 points, and big man Tyson Chandler had 15 points and 13
rebounds while patrolling the paint for the Suns.
It was Chandler's first double-double with the Suns and the 254th of
his career.
"We're hoping he can do that all season," Hornacek said of Chandler.
"Brandon and Bled led the show," said Chandler, who hit 9 of 12 from
the free throw line. "That's the reason I was able to get to the
line."
Knight said, "We tried to make them play an up-tempo game. We're
much better when we play fast."
The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard with 24 points and CJ
McCollum with 16. But the high-scoring backcourt combined to make
only 14 of 42 shots from the field. Al Farouq Aminu added 16 points
and 10 boards.
The Blazers stumbled to a staggering 11 turnovers in the third
quarter, part of 23 for the game.
"Turnovers killed us," said Blazers center Mason Plumlee, who had 15
points (and just one turnover).
Lillard said, "We threw some tough passes to catch and that led to
transition points. They got their hands on balls; they got
deflections."
The Suns had 13 steals after lead the NBA preseason with 11.7 steals
per game.
The Suns, hoping they've put together a more competitive defensive
roster than last season, limited the Blazers to 39.5 percent
shooting from the field.
"On the whole, it was a rough night on the offensive end," Blazers
coach Terry Stotts said.
Chandler, the Suns' newest center, flashed an ability to keep up
with the team's fast pace, scoring nine of the Suns' first 19 points
as they grabbed a 27-23 lead after the first quarter.
McCollum hit a mid-range jumper, a driving layup and a 3-pointer off
a fast break as the Blazers pulled into a 37-37 tie.
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Then Suns backup guard Ronnie Price gave the Suns a lift by forcing
the pace and scoring six points in the final two minutes of the
first half, which ended with the Suns leading 55-49.
"That's Ronnie," Hornacek said. "He's full bore all the time."
The Suns pushed the pace in part thanks to Blazers turnovers and
gradually broke the game open in the third quarter.
T.J. Warren scored on a floater in the lane and a fast-break dunk
off a steal to close out the quarter for an 83-69 lead. The
second-year small forward finished 7 of 10 from the floor for 17
points.
The Suns pushed the lead to 102-80 in the fourth quarter and managed
to coast to the finish.
NOTES: The Suns installed Steve Nash, arguably the greatest player
in franchise history, into their Ring of Honor at halftime. Before
the game, the two-time MVP acknowledged the honor. "I really
struggle with being applauded." Yet when it comes to the race-horse
pace the Suns used to with great success, Nash didn't hold back.
"It's amazing to think what we accomplished. We changed the way the
game is played. It's not a championship, but it's incredibly
rewarding." Suns coach Jeff Hornacek pointed out Nash's teams
weren't the game's first to emphasize the fast break. "That was the
first really small team. Would that work without Steve Nash as
commander? Maybe, but probably not." ... Blazers G CJ McCollum, who
ranked seventh in the NBA in preseason scoring at 18.3, put up a
career-high 37 points in the team's opener Wednesday. ... The Suns
have won eight of their last nine home games against the Trail
Blazers.
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