----- Deandre Ayton finished with 25 points and 20 rebounds and Deni Avdija added 24 points and eight rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns in overtime 121-119.
Deandre Ayton led Portland (21-29) with 25 points and 20 rebounds, Deni Avdija finished with 24 points and eight rebounds, and Toumani Camara added 17 points and five rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns 121-119 in overtime Monday night at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Devin Booker led Phoenix (25-24) with a game-high 34 points and Kevin Durant added 27 points and five assists. Booker passed Walter Davis on Monday night to become the Suns all-time leading scorer.
Another strong performance for Scoot Henderson. He finished with 15 points and six assists and played terrific defense for Coach Chauncey Billups.
The Trail Blazers opened the game connecting on eight of their first 10 shots from the field building a 19-5 lead, but the Suns responded with a 26-12 run to close the quarter and tied the game at 31.
The Suns held a 55-49 halftime lead, but the Trail Blazers closed the third quarter on an 18-5 run to take a six-point lead at 86-80 into the fourth.
Phoenix responded with a 14-6 run to tie the game at 94 with 6:29 remaining. The rest of the fourth as back and forth featuring seven lead-changes.
Jerami Grant gave Portland a 107-104 lead with 14.1 seconds remaining following a dunk, but Royce O'Neal countered with a three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining to tie the game.
Anfernee Simons had his three-point attempt blocked at the final buzzer sending the game into overtime.
Portland used a 7-2 run to take a three-point lead with 1:39 remaining in overtime.
After Ayton connected on four-straight free throws, the Trail Blazers held a 120-117 lead with 5.5 seconds remaining. Avdija fouled Booker on a three-point attempt with 4.4 seconds remaining. He made the first two but missed the third. Ayton was fouled on the rebound and went back to the foul line with 3.2 seconds on the clock.
Ayton made the first and missed the second but Jerami Grant secured the loose ball securing the win for the Trail Blazers.
With the win, Portland is now 8-1 in their last nine games.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will play the second of a back-to-back Tuesday night at Moda Center against the Indiana Pacers. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Once again, the Trail Blazers were powered by the duo of Avdija & Camara!