Powered by a 25-point performance by Damian Lillard, double-doubles by Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan, and a 43-point second quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers stomped the Phoenix Suns 132-119 to stay undefeated on the road this season and move to 6-1 overall.
Portland starts its campaign 5-0 on the road for the first time in 36 years. Clingan's season-high 24-point, 11-rebound outing is his 47th career double-double. The UConn product anchored the paint all night, rejecting three shots at the rim. Avdija finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists, while Lillard added three rebounds and five assists, shooting 9-for-17 from the field.
"I feel like we locked in on defense (in the second quarter)," Clingan told Blazers' courtside reporter Brook Olzendam postgame. "We were forcing them to take the shots we wanted them to take. They were just making a lot of tough shots in the first quarter. We started to pick up the pressure a little bit. We picked up the intensity and we got the job done."
Jrue Holiday recorded 15 points and four rebounds off the bench. Toumani Camara pitched in 11 points, four rebounds and two assists. Robert Williams III, meanwhile, scored nine points, pulled down eight rebounds, nabbed two steals and blocked three shots in just under 16 minutes.
Devin Booker had a game-high 33 points to lead the Suns, fouling out. Jalen Green had 22 points. Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks added 18 and 15 points, respectively.
Portland shot 51.2 percent (44 of 86) overall and 35.9 percent from 3-point range (14 of 39). The Blazers shot a season-high 41 free throws, a mark they've reached thrice, sinking 30 of them. Phoenix struggled mightily from the arc, shooting 10-for-36 from three to dip its field goal percentage down to 44.6 percent.
Nov 4, 2026: Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As mentioned in the Blazers On SI game preview, the Suns horrendous defense led to their downfall, along with their inability to create quality looks due to Portland's tough defense. The Blazers' second-quarter avalanche overwhelmed Phoenix, as they shot an incredible 14-for-19 (73.7 percent), 6-for-11 from the 3-point line (54.5 percent) and 9-for-13 on free throws in the period.
Clingan made all three of his shots in the secord quarter, including one 3-pointer and a free throw, to score eight points. By far his best performance of the young season, the 7-foot-2, 280-pound big-man ultimately finished 9-for-12, 1-for-2 from three and 5-for-6 from the free line.
His 60.7 percent field goal percentage the last two games - averaging 16 shot attempts - is considerably higher than his first five games of the season. He's finishing better at the rim, but most importantly, he's becoming more of rolling threat, a noticeable hole in his offensive repertoire in October.
Avdija, meanwhile, continued to do Avdija things; a maniac in transition, he sliced through Phoenix's defense with relative ease, feeding open teammates like a grandma on Thanksgiving. And despite Lillard's continued shooting struggles from deep, he remains a constant threat, relentlessly attacking the rim.
His spat with Brooks in the third quarter epitomized his aggression. The two jawed at each other, as NBA players do. They weren't going to fight, obviously, but they were in each other's faces, clearly at odds.
After the officials stepped in and separated the two, Brooks decided to defend Lillard 94 feet immediately on the next live ball. It didn't work out. He met a brick wall in Clingan a little past midcourt, as Lillard darted toward the rim off the screen, opting for an absolutely tough reverse-finish over 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach.
Nov 4, 2026: Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Scoot Henderson experiment doesn't seem to be working. Can it even be called an experiment anymore in year four? He started once again, and once again Holiday outplayed him. Once again, he underwhelmed.
Henderson was simply a non-factor against Phoenix. He by far played the fewest minutes of any starter at 22, six minutes less than Holiday, and posted an ugly -8 plus-minus. For context: Avdija was +16, Lillard +16, Clingan +13, Holiday +13, Vit Krejci +11, Sidy Cissoko +9, Camara +6 and Williams +2.
He finished with nine points, two rebounds, one assist, one turnover and four fouls. He made only 1 of his 5 total shots, which was a 3-pointer (and was 1-for-3 from three). His 6-for-8 performance at the free throw line is a positive - I guess - but it feels like Henderson is in an never-ending loop of, "Well, he wasn't great overall, but in this one specific area..."
Maybe the criticism is too harsh. One cannot doubt Henderson's effort or how much he cares. At the trajectory the Blazers are heading, however, effort and passion won't help Portland break through the glass ceiling to challenge the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons.
Only results will.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/trailblazers/onsi as 3 Blazers Score 20-Plus Points to Quench Suns .
