PHOENIX SUNS

Suns Strokes: Suns suffer worst loss in franchise history to Blazers

Oct 18, 2017, 10:55 PM | Updated: 11:23 pm

The Phoenix Suns bench watches the final seconds of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Tra...

The Phoenix Suns bench watches the final seconds of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, in Phoenix. The Trail Blazers won 124-76. (AP Photo/Matt York)

(AP Photo/Matt York)

PHOENIX — To begin the 50th season in franchise history, the Phoenix Suns nearly lost by 50.

Opening Night was an embarrassment. From beginning to end.

“We got our (expletive) kicked,” head coach Earl Watson said.

The Suns were outcoached, outhustled, outplayed and ultimately outscored, 124-76, by the Portland Trail Blazers in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,055 at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Wednesday.

The loss was historic.

The 48 points marked the largest margin of defeat in franchise history. They trailed by as many as 58.

And this was to a Trail Blazers team missing its second-best player. C.J. McCollum was suspended, while first-round draft pick Zach Collins was out sick.

It was 60-35 at halftime after Portland closed the second quarter on a 15-0 run. They then went on a 14-0 run late in the third quarter to push the lead to 43.

Damian Lillard had 19 points between the two quarters. He finished with a game-high 27 on 10-of-20 shooting with four three-pointers plus had five rebounds, five assists and three blocks, tying his career high.

Pat Connaughton added a career-high 24 points off the bench as Portland placed six players in double figures, including a double-double by Jusuf Nurkic (11 points and 11 rebounds).

The Trail Blazers outrebounded the Suns, who were without Alex Len because of an ankle sprain, 57-33 and held the Suns to 31.5 percent shooting from the field and 25.9 percent from 3-point range while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from long range.

The Suns were led in scoring by Eric Bledsoe (15 points), Devin Booker (12) and Josh Jackson (11).

THE GOOD

Let the record show it was at the 11:07 mark of the first quarter when Jackson scored his first points in the NBA. He drained a 23-foot three-pointer and added a dunk two minutes later, helping the Suns jump out to an early 9-2 lead. Jackson finished the period with those five points, on 2-of-3 shooting, in nine minutes. Booker led the team with six.

Of the 14 second-quarter points the Suns scored, Bledsoe accounted for 10. He scored eight on a pair of and-1s and a layup plus fed Booker for a 20-foot jump shot. Bledsoe was 4-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line for 12 points at halftime. He also added two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one blocked shot in 17 minutes.

Hey, bench points! It took until the 6:04 mark of the third quarter for a non-starter on the Suns to crack the scoring column. It was Troy Daniels and he nailed a three-pointer, which ended a Suns stretch of 13 straight missed threes. Daniels would hit another deep ball later in the period. Dragan Bender (2) and Tyler Ulis (1) also made into the scoring column as well.

With the game out of reach, like really out of reach, Watson went deep down his bench and played Mike James and Alec Peters. James scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting with a pair of three-pointers, while Peters hit his first shot attempt, a three-pointer. James had played five seasons internationally waiting for this, his very first NBA experience.

THE BAD

With the game tied at 17, the Trail Blazers scored seven straight points, part of a larger 12-2 run that put Portland ahead, 29-19 with 33 seconds left in the first quarter. It was their largest lead of the period. Shabazz Napier hit a pair of threes during the three-minute stretch. Connaughton had 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including two threes, to pace the Trail Blazers.

After an and-1 by Bledsoe to pull the Suns to within 31-18 at the 9:53 mark of the second quarter, the Trail Blazers scored 10 straight points. But that was nothing compared to the 15-0 close to the period that gave Portland a 25-point halftime lead, 60-35. Lillard had nine points and three assists in the quarter. The Suns missed their last nine shots.

Just 2:20 into the second half, Watson had seen enough. He called timeout after Evan Turner drilled a three-pointer to make it 69-37 Trail Blazers at the 9:40 mark of the third quarter. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The Suns would trail by as many as 43 points in the period. They were outscored 38-20 thanks to 25 percent shooting (6-of-24, including 3-of-10 3s).

STAT OF THE GAME

61-26: The Trail Blazers’ bench outscored the Suns’ bench 61-26, including 24-0 in the first half.

HE SAID IT

“We can’t use age as an excuse,” Watson said. “Portland came in here and they basically just kicked our butts as bad as they could, they didn’t have no sympathy.”

NOTED

The Trail Blazers have won four straight against the Suns, which is their longest winning streak in the series since 2008-10.

Len sprained his left ankle at practice Saturday; meanwhile, Jared Dudley (left foot surgery) was also ruled out prior to tip-off.

McCollum served a one-game suspension for leaving the bench area during an altercation in last week’s game in Phoenix.

Eight times the Suns have faced the Trail Blazers on opening night, tying Golden State for the most-ever Game 1 matchups.

UP NEXT

The season-opening homestand continues with a visit by Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Oct. 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning 30 minutes earlier on 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station.

The Suns and Lakers split the season series 2-2 last season.

Overall, the Suns have won 13 of the past 17 meetings.

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