By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Portland Trail Blazers ended the game on a 17-5 run to defeat the Phoenix Suns on the road. 114-110. They stun the Suns.
The Blazers will play the No. 2 seed, the San Antonio Spurs, in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The Blazers entered this game having won 10 of their last 14 games to get into the play-in tournament. Against the Suns, they had three head-to-head meetings, all of which the Suns won.
Peni Avdija was one of the main factors why Portland won this game. The young man had one of his best performances of the season, arguably the best, because this was a very important game. Avdija led the Blazers with 41 points. The 25-year-old made nice moves and drove to the basket when he needed to. Today, he made many Israelis proud, and we hope he can sustain this momentum.
The Blazers team heard it all. They heard about the Blazers’ lack of playoff experience. With this victory, they silence the critics and naysayers. When you bring championship and leadership experience like Jrue Holiday, it rubs off on the rest of the young core. Holiday scored 14 points in the first half. He finished with 21. Holiday, who is known for being a great defender, did all he could to make it difficult for guys like Devin Booker and Jalen Green.
Booker and Green were holding the Suns together when things didn’t go well for them in the second quarter. In the first half, the Suns struggled from the three-point line. Portland relied heavily on the three-point shot. By halftime, the Trail Blazers already had double-digit threes. The downtown shooting almost cost the Blazers the game, as they missed 11 consecutive field goals (4 of them were threes) and committed several turnovers.
Green led the Suns with 35. Booker added 22. Dillon Brooks, who started to get hot in the second half, finished with 20.
The Suns have a chance to secure the No. 8 spot. They wait for the conclusion of the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors game.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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