Defensive duel finds Suns down 47-40 to Trail Blazers in first half
· Yahoo Sports
PHOENIX – Sunday’s first half between the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers didn’t see many buckets. Head coach Jordan Ott was without two of his best offensive weapons in Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks and was forced to rely on other avenues to score points. Jalen Green looked to be a clear answer, but a poor shooting half and a dominate half from center Donovan Clingan had Phoenix in trouble.
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The Suns find themselves down 47-40 in the first half after shooting 34% from the field. The Blazers didn’t start shooting well, but ended in a much better spot with a 47% field goal percentage. They combined for 7-of-39 from beyond the arc. Portland broke away because of Clingan’s three first half blocks, 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. Despite a solid outing from Jamaree Bouyea, Suns found itself down at the break.
Dec 18, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea (17) against the Golden State Warriors in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
1st quarter:
Bad luck struck the Blazers early as their All-Star in Deni Avdija was injured 59 seconds into the game and exited to the locker room. Avdija was questionable heading into Sunday’s game with a back injury and seemed to flare it early. Only a minute later would see center Donovan Clingan start grabbing at his wrist after falling to the ground.
Feb 20, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) reacts after making a three-point shot against the Denver Nuggets during first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
Clingan powered through the pain and made a massive impact on the defensive end with two blocks on Mark Williams, who was overwhelmed early. Portland held Phoenix to 2-of-12 from the field, as the absence of Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks had the offense stagnant.
Despite the success defensively, the Trail Blazers had similar struggles offensively starting the game zero-of-seven from beyond the arc. The Suns got lucky as Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara were getting wide open shots in the corner but couldn’t knock it down.
Entering the commercial break with four minutes left in the frame, a fan swished a half court shot for $10,000, which matched the game total of 3-point shots made of 1-of-16 from both teams.
Jan 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea (17) against the Brooklyn Nets in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Head coach Jordan Ott went to his bench to try and find a spark and guard Jamaree Bouyea. The 26-year-old has started to find himself back in the rotation with recent injuries and sparked for six points and a dish to Williams for the easy slam to get him going. Bouyea led the Suns in the quarter and kept them tied with the Blazers 20-20 after one.
2nd quarter:
The Suns’ first three came from an unlikely source in Khaman Maluach. In just his fourth game in February, the 19-year-old didn’t hesitant in the corner in front of his bench to swish his first 3-pointer of the season. However, that didn’t unlock the basket for Phoenix.
The Trail Blazers rim protection remained elite, Clingan recorded his third to bring the team total to seven midway through the second. Former second overall pick Scoot Henderson had a memorable one on Jalen Green by fighting over a screening and blocking a three-pointer from behind. That highlighted a rough start from Green, who shot two-of-nine to start the game and missed his first five three pointers.
Feb 12, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) looks to pass against the Utah Jazz during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Clingan’s defensive effort started to get him some momentum the offensive end. A wild floater allowed the rebound to bounce right back to him for a thunderous slam. He followed the slam with a top of the key three pointer to go on a mini 5-0 run by himself. Portland found itself with its largest lead of six, behind a 11-point first half by Clingan.
Phoenix started to find some easy buckets downhill and at the basket, but its defense began to slip from beyond the arc. Portland knocked down two three points in the final two minutes to end the first half up 47-40.
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