NBA Game Summary - Phoenix at Portland
Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - Gerald Green scored 32 points and Eric Bledsoe dropped a career-high 30 to lead the Phoenix Suns in a 109-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Suns snapped a two-game losing streak and pulled even with Memphis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Both teams trail Dallas by one-half game for the seventh position.
"We just had a thing called determination I guess," said Bledsoe. "Everyone knew that if we lost this game it would be a little tougher on us going forward."
The Suns and Grizzlies each have six games remaining on their schedule, while the Mavericks have five games left.
Goran Dragic netted 19 points and Miles Plumlee pulled down 16 rebounds in the win.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez each deposited 18 points for the Trail Blazers, with Lopez adding 13 rebounds. Portland had its four-game winning streak halted.
Nicolas Batum contributed a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double in the setback.
"I thought for the most part they just outhustled and outworked us," said Lopez. "I thought they definitely played with a little bit of urgency."
Portland dropped two games behind Houston for fourth place in the West and were denied the chance at securing a playoff berth. The Blazers host New Orleans on Sunday with a chance to clinch a spot in the conference's final eight.
A Batum 3-pointer capped the scoring in the first half and helped the hosts to a 54-51 advantage at the break.
Bledsoe made a layup to open the third and Portland answered with eight straight points.
Aldridge and Batum interchanged baskets during the spurt, with Batum's layup staking the Blazers to a 62-53 edge.
Portland led by as many as 10 in the period before Phoenix surged back and cut the deficit to one, 80-79, entering the fourth.
Both teams went in opposite directions at the start of the final stanza.
Green scored 12 points during a 20-5 quarter-opening burst that helped the Suns to a 99-85 advantage with just over five minutes left. The 16-point final margin was Phoenix's largest lead of the night.