----- Devin Booker finished with 24 points, three rebounds, and three assists and Chris Paul added 15 points and four assists as the Phoenix Suns ran past the Portland Trail Blazers 102-82 Saturday night at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
On Friday night the Trail Blazers scored a surprise buzzer-beater victory over the Suns. On Saturday, the Blazers played like a team content with split on the road back-to-back.
Devin Booker scored a game-high 24 points and Chris Paul finished with 15 points and four assists as the Phoenix Suns improved to 7-2 with a 102-82 Saturday night at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
The Suns led 35-26 entering the second quarter and then blew the game open with a 22-10 run.
Portland (6-3) played their second-straight game without Anfernee Simons (foot) and Damian Lillard (calf). Chauncy Billups went with the same starting lineup he used on Friday night with Shaedon Sharpe and Justise Winslow joining Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant, and Josh Hart.
The Blazers struggled to find their offense connecting on just 38% from the field and just 7-of-15 from three-point range.
Grant led the team in scoring with 14 points and Sharpe finished with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Trendon Watford made his season debut. He finished with nine points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
The Suns held a 44-32 edge with points in the paint and scored 18 points off of 18 Blazers turnovers.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will travel to Miami to meet the Heat on Monday. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 PM.
Chad's Take- Getting a split in Phoenix without Dame and Ant is a win regardless of Saturday's ugly loss.