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A road streak built by more than one scorer
Further record: AP / ABC News — Lillard and Clingan power Portland past Phoenix, Hoops Nightly — Portland at Phoenix: statistics and quarter scores, ESPN — Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns: box score
Portland beat Phoenix 132–119 on November 4 for its fifth consecutive road win. Damian Lillard scored 25, Donovan Clingan added 24, and Deni Avdija contributed 21 points and twelve assists. Scoring, interior finishing and creation all had a place in the win.
Those jobs are different, but together they make an offense harder to reduce to one defensive assignment. For supporters looking ahead, several players being able to create and finish is more encouraging than a scoring leaderboard alone.
Five down becomes thirteen up
Further record: Hoops Nightly — Portland at Phoenix: statistics and quarter scores, ESPN — Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns: box score
Phoenix led 34–29 after one quarter. Portland answered with a 43–25 second period to lead 72–59 at halftime, an eighteen-point swing that changed the direction of the game.
The Blazers then won the third 32–26 and entered the fourth ahead 104–85. Phoenix recovered six points in the final period, but could not erase the damage from the middle quarters. The thirteen-point final margin understates the cushion Portland had created.
Clingan turns opportunities into efficient scoring
Further record: Hoops Nightly — Portland at Phoenix: statistics and quarter scores, ESPN — Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns: box score
Clingan made nine of twelve shots for 24 points and eleven rebounds; Lillard shot nine of seventeen. Portland’s 51.2% shooting outpaced Phoenix’s 44.6%, giving the scoring total an efficiency foundation.
The two performances complement each other: a perimeter threat paired with interior finishes. On a replay, follow how the ball reaches a scoring position, rather than watching only the moment a dunk or jumper falls.
Avdija completes the picture
Further record: AP / ABC News — Lillard and Clingan power Portland past Phoenix, Hoops Nightly — Portland at Phoenix: statistics and quarter scores, ESPN — Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns: box score
Avdija’s 21 points, seven rebounds and twelve assists make him more than another scorer. When Lillard and Clingan take the headline, his creation is a reminder that the player supplying an opportunity can be central to keeping a run alive.
That is a particularly interesting part of Portland’s outlook. Another capable ball-handler gives the defense another decision to make. Whether those choices keep producing good shots against different matchups is the next test.
Booker scores, but Phoenix cannot close the gap
Further record: AP / ABC News — Lillard and Clingan power Portland past Phoenix, Hoops Nightly — Portland at Phoenix: statistics and quarter scores, ESPN — Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns: box score
Devin Booker scored 33 and made all thirteen of his free throws; Jalen Green added 22. That production could not offset the twenty-four-point combined deficit Phoenix accumulated across the second and third quarters.
Phoenix went ten of 36 from three against Portland’s fourteen of 39. The response cannot simply be asking its lead scorer for more: when its own attack slows, Phoenix needs a way to interrupt the opponent’s scoring runs.
Take the collaboration to Los Angeles
Further record: Hoops Nightly — Portland at Phoenix: statistics and quarter scores, ESPN — Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns: box score
The schedule at the time had Portland visiting the Lakers next and Phoenix hosting Orlando the following night. Portland’s challenge is sustaining those shared roles without needing a 43-point quarter every game.
Five road wins already make this an intriguing start. From Lillard’s scoring to Clingan’s efficiency and Avdija’s passing, the next attraction is seeing those strengths work together again.
