Oubre, Phoenix Suns Deliver More Problems for the Trail Blazers, 122-116

The Portland Trail Blazers have lost another game at home, this time, against the Phoenix Suns, 122-116. The hosts managed to lose 19 points of advantage and to frustrate their fans once again. Terry Stotts’ head coach position is under heavy pressure, and it really seems that something radical needs to change among the Blazers.

The fans stayed and booed long after the game, as their Blazers now have 14 wins and 20 defeats, and are struggling to secure their playoff position. A loss against the Suns is their 9th in 17 games at home, which is something unacceptable for a team with their ambitions.

Ricky Rubio woke up the guests with 11 points in the opening moments of the last period, annihilating the Blazers’ defense. After that, Devin Booker continued, and the hosts didn’t have any solution on how to stop their downfall. At the start of the fourth, Portland had an 89-83 lead. They would miss all but one of their six three-point attempts, while Suns recorded 4-of-4.

Kelly Oubre hit a big shot for the Suns late and blew kisses to Blazers fans 😯 pic.twitter.com/8kwqVS8YKL

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 31, 2019

One of them was Kelly Oubre Jr’s hit with 44.4 seconds to go when Phoenix reached a 120-114 lead, and it turned out to be a decider for tonight’s contest. Oubre would send kisses to the audience following that shot.

The Suns’ small forward ended the night with 29 points, hitting 7 downtown shots in 10 attempts and posting 5 boards and three assists. Rubio scored 18 buckets but had 13 dimes, while Mikal Bridges delivered 13 points. DeAndre Ayton started the game on the bench, and recorded 6 points and 12 board in 20 minutes.

Devin Booker had a team-high with 33 points, and a perfect score from the free-throw line, 15-of-15. He wouldn’t take a single three-point attempt tonight.

With the hosts, Lillard packed 33 points and had 7 assists hitting 5 threes, while CJ McCollum scored 25. Hassan Whiteside had a monstrous double-double with 16 buckets and 22 rebounds, adding three blocks on top of that. Carmelo Anthony was once again below the expected level, scoring just 10 points in 37 minutes and shooting 4-of-16. The Blazers allowed Suns to shoot 56.5% from downtown, 13-of-23.

Currently, the situation in Portland is not good at all, and instead of fighting for one of the top places in the conference, the Blazers are wandering around the 8th place, which would lead them directly towards the Lakers, Nuggets or the Clippers in the playoffs. Something is missing here, and we aren’t talking about all the injured players, who by the way, are plenty among the Blazers. Rodney Hood, Mario Hezonja, Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, all these guys are ineligible to play.

However, even with the available players, Portland should post better results, but as we said, something is missing in this team.

As for the Suns(13-20), they posted their second win on the road after beating the Kings in Sacramento. Following an 8-game losing skid, this comes as a breath of fresh air for Monty Williams and his boys.

They are finishing their tour through the West Coast against the Lakers on Wednesday, and come back to Arizona to start a five-game homestand.

As for the Blazers, they are yet to experience problems, as Stotts’ side heads on a journey throughout the Eastern Conference. Their first opponents will be the New York Knicks also on Wednesday.