National Basketball Association
Phoenix 101, Portland 90
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 31, 2015
Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, Portland, Oregon
Officials: #19 James Capers, #33 Sean Corbin, #37 Eric Dalen
Attendance: 17906

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The game opened with a powerful dunk by Tyson Chandler on an alley-oop. A few minutes later, he got into a brief altercation with Mason Plumlee that resulted in a technical foul for each.

But the real muscle on Saturday night ended up being provided by Phoenix guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight.

Bledsoe and Knight combined for 60 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 101-90 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on at the Moda Center.

Bledsoe finished with a game-high 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field. It was one short of his career-high of 34 points. Knight was close behind with 27 points, including four 3-pointers.

The 6-foot-1 Bledsoe showed some bravado in the fourth quarter when he flexed both biceps on his way up the court after converting four consecutive points to give his team an 84-81 lead it didn't relinquish.

"We're just playing off the flow of the game," Bledsoe said. "They were giving us those mid-range shots all night. ... I shot it with confidence."

It was the second Suns victory over the Trail Blazers in as many days after Phoenix beat Portland 110-92 on Friday in Phoenix. The Suns (2-1) also received 15 points and nine rebounds from forward Markleff Morris.

"I was proud of our guys because we got here late (from Phoenix) and so did they, but I felt like the energy for both teams was really high," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "I thought both teams were going at it. We just had some big games by Eric and Brandon."

After trailing 56-48 at halftime, Portland opened the third quarter on a 13-1 run to take a 61-57 lead. Maurice Harkless capped the Blazers' spurt with a 3-pointer that energized the home crowd.

But Knight soon quieted the Portland fans with a 25-foot 3-pointer with 6:26 left for Phoenix's first field goal of the second quarter. The Suns, who missed their first 12 shots from the field in the third quarter, took a 74-71 lead into the fourth quarter.

Portland, which lost at home for the first time this season after winning Wednesday's opener against New Orleans, took an 81-80 lead on forward Al-Farouq Aminu's jumper with 6:47 left in the fourth quarter. But it was the Blazers' final lead.

Twelve seconds after Aminu's basket, Bledsoe made a 17-foot jumper to start a 10-0 Suns run that also featured a driving layup from Bledsoe and consecutive baskets from Knight.

Lillard cut the Blazers' deficit to 92-86 on a deep 3-pointer with 3:04 left. But Knight quickly answered with a 20-foot jumper.

Bledsoe and Knight combined to make 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory for Phoenix.

"We're both unselfish guys, just trying to make the right plays," Knight said. "But it's not just about us two. ... It's about all of us really jelling and meshing and finding the best way to play together."

Point guard Damian Lillard scored 23 points and guard C.J. McCollum added 15 points to lead the Trail Blazers (1-2).

"I thought our effort was better tonight," Lillard said. "We played well offensively to start the game, but defensively we gave up a lot. In the second half, we tightened it up defensively, but things didn't go as well on offense. We've just got to put complete games together."

NOTES: Portland and Phoenix also played Friday night in Arizona, with the Suns winning 110-92. The victory improved Phoenix to 8-1 in its last nine regular-season home games against the Trail Blazers. ... The Trail Blazers entered Saturday's game having won 10 of the past 12 over Phoenix in Portland. ... The Suns opened the season with a combined 108 rebounds in the first two games. After getting 53 rebounds in its season opener, Phoenix grabbed 55 rebounds against Portland on Friday. It was the first time the Suns had at least 53 rebounds in consecutive games since Feb. 15-16, 2006. ... Portland F Al-Farouq Aminu had his first double-double in a Trail Blazers uniform on Friday. Aminu had 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. ... Phoenix C Tyson Chandler, who signed with the Suns on July 9, had 15 points and 13 rebounds in Friday's win after being held to three points and six rebounds in the season opener. ... Saturday's game marked Phoenix's lone trip to Portland this season. The teams conclude their three-game regular-season series on Dec. 11 in Phoenix.
Top Game Performances
 
Phoenix   Portland
Eric Bledsoe 33 Scoring Damian Lillard 23
Eric Bledsoe 6 Assists Damian Lillard 8
Tyson Chandler 11 Rebounds Ed Davis 11
Eric Bledsoe 7 Free Throws Made Al-Farouq Aminu 4
Eric Bledsoe 4 Steals Maurice Harkless 2
Eric Bledsoe 2 Blocks Ed Davis 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Phoenix 101 41.5 11-32 12-16 16 48 6 11 13
Portland 90 41.8 8-30 16-28 20 45 5 7 16
Upcoming Games
  • Portland will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Phoenix will play their next game on the road against L.A. Clippers. The Suns have a W/L % of .500 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.