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 Then the Portland Trail Blazers exploded for a 42-point fourth
quarter that buried the Phoenix Suns 108-87 Thursday night at the
Moda Center.
With reserve guards Steve Blake and C.J. McCollum and backup forward
Meyers Leonard joining starting guard Wesley Matthews and starting
center Robin Lopez, the Trail Blazers opened the final period with
an 8-0 run and never looked back en route to their most decisive
victory since a 101-79 win over the New York Knicks on Dec. 28.
"The guys off the bench brought it to start the fourth quarter,"
said Portland forward Nicolas Batum, who scored 20 points and dished
seven assists. "We went from up one (point) to up 10 in like two
minutes. It was a good team win tonight."
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and 13 rebounds for
Portland. All five starters, along McCollum (12 points), scored in
double figures for the Blazers.
Forward Markieff Morris had 18 points and eight boards for the Suns,
who lost their third consecutive game. Guard Eric Bledsoe collected
17 points and seven rebounds for the losers.
 Portland (34-16) outscored Phoenix 42-22 in the fourth quarter --
almost as many points as the Blazers had in the entire first half.
The home team led 46-35 at the break.
"We were able to pull away in the fourth quarter," Portland coach
Terry Stotts said. "The group in the game at the beginning of the
fourth gave us a nice jump, got the lead up, and we were able to
expand on it."
Phoenix (28-23) shot only 38.6 percent for the game and committed 16
turnovers -- eight in the first quarter. Many of the giveaways were
unforced.
Both teams shot poorly to start the game -- Portland 2-for-12,
Phoenix 2-for-9 -- and the Blazers led 6-5 midway through the first
quarter.
"After six minutes, it looked like we were going to set a record for
lowest-scoring game," Stotts said.
Portland used a 14-4 run to stoke the margin to 20-9 and held a
27-15 advantage heading into the second quarter. The Blazers scored
the first seven points of the second period to extend the lead.
Phoenix closed within 41-31 with three minutes left in the quarter,
and Portland took an 11-point edge into intermission.
"It was a bizarre first half," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said. "We
started the game and we were dribbling out of bounds, not making
good passes, missing easy shots out there. You saw guys tripping and
falling. At the half, we're down only 11, and we probably couldn't
play any worse."
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Phoenix dominated the third quarter, taking a 63-62 lead on a
Bledsoe layup late in the quarter, but the Blazers -- despite
3-for-25 3-point shooting to that point -- went into the final
period ahead 66-65.
Portland began the fourth quarter with eight straight points for a
74-65 lead, and the Blazers increased it to 88-75 with 5:34
remaining. By that time, the issue was decided.
"The guys came out in the third quarter and played pretty well,"
Hornacek said. "It was the type of effort we usually get from the
guys -- the scrappy, get-after-it stuff. In the fourth quarter, (the
Blazers) were the aggressors and took it right to the basket."
NOTES: F LaMarcus Aldridge became Portland's career leader in
double-doubles with 220, passing Sidney Wicks. Aldridge has 25
double-doubles this season, including five in a row. ... Portland
was without reserve centers Chris Kaman (back) and Joel Freeland
(shoulder). ... Phoenix C Alex Lin sustained an ankle injury in the
third quarter, and coach Jeff Hornacek said he guesses Lin will be
out through at least the All-Star break. ... Over the past 11 games,
Portland G Damian Lillard is a collective 16-for-85 (.188) from
3-point range. Lillard, who went 0-for-5 on 3-point shots Thursday,
has missed his past 17 attempts from beyond the arc. He finished
with 13 points and three assists in 33 minutes Thursday night. ...
The victory was the Blazers' fourth in their past 12 meetings with
the Suns since the start of the 2011-12 season. ... Portland is 2-0
since the return of C Robin Lopez, who had 11 points, 12 rebounds
and four blocked shots. The Blazers went 2-8 in their previous 10
games without Lopez, who missed 23 games with a broken hand.
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