The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the host Phoenix Suns, 110 - 101, at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Sunday. This game meant much more to the Blazers than the Suns and that proved to be the case with this important Portland win. Despite the Suns leading for the majority of the first quarter, Portland actually held the lead for 40 of the final 42 minutes. Portland ended the game on an 11 - 4 run to pull away and eventually win. Shooting was key, as the Blazers hit 50 percent of their shots, while holding the Suns to 44 percent shooting. Rebounding was also a big factor, with Portland winning that battle, 49 - 42. The Blazers (29 - 36) are battling for the eight - seed in the west and to say this win was crucial would be a drastic understatement. Damian Lillard was the star, as he led the team with 39 points, six rebounds and two assists. C.J. McCollum finished with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists. Jusuf Nurkic was the only other player in double figures, as he tallied 12 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Al-Farouq Aminu was a nice spark off the bench, providing nine points and 12 rebounds. On deck for the Blazers is a road matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. The Suns (22 - 45) had won four of six headed into this game, but they could n't quite hold off a hungry Portland bunch. Devin Booker led Phoenix in scoring, as he accumulated 28 points, five rebounds and three assists. Eric Bledsoe finished second on the team, accruing 19 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. Alan Williams came off the bench to produce another double - double, totaling 12 points and 10 rebounds. Phoenix wo n't play until Wednesday, when they host the Sacramento Kings for their next game.
["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 45 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 22 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 50 Percentage of field goals ,has 36 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 29 Wins ."]