----- Kevin Durant scored a game-high 31 points and Devin Booker finished with 28 points and six assists as the Phoenix Suns outscored the Portland Trail Blazers 120-107 Tuesday night at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Trail Blazers eliminated from the NBA In-Season Tournament Tuesday night in Phoenix!
Kevin Durant finished with 31 points and nine assists and Devin Booker added 28 points and six assists as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 120-107 Tuesday night at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Durant, playing in his 1,000th NBA game, passed Elvin Hayes to move into 11th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Two former members of Rip City had a good showing. Jusuf Nurkic finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting and Nassir Little added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench.
The Suns, who won their fourth in a row overall and are 2-1 in West Group A in the tournament while the Trail Blazers finish group play at 1-3. Phoenix plays its final group game Friday at Memphis.
Jerami Grant scored a team-high 26 points and Malcolm Brogdon returned to the lineup after missing five-games (hamstring strain), he finished with 19 points and five assists. He connected on 4-of-5 from three-point range.
Deandre Ayton finished with 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft out of Arizona, played his first five seasons with the Suns. He was traded to Portland in a three-team deal that saw Damian Lillard go to Milwaukee and the Suns acquire Grayson Allen and Nurkic. Both started for the Suns on Tuesday night.
Ayton was met with a Chorus of boos in the first quarter.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers return to Portland to play the second of a back-to-back Wednesday night at Moda Center against the Jazz. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- The NBA in-season tournament multi-colored courts give me a headache.