Deandre Ayton scored 25 points and collected a season-best 20 rebounds against his former team to help the Portland Trail Blazers notch a 121-119 overtime victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Deni Avdija recorded 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists before fouling out as Portland completed a two-game sweep of the Suns. Toumani Camara added 17 points as the Trail Blazers won their fourth straight game and improved to 8-1 over their past nine.
Devin Booker scored 34 points and became the all-time leading scorer in franchise history for the Suns, but he missed a free throw that would have tied the game with 4.4 seconds left in OT. It was the lone free throw that Booker missed in 14 attempts.
Kevin Durant scored 27 points and Bradley Beal had 25 points for Phoenix, which lost 127-108 on Saturday in the opener of the two-game set with Portland. Royce O’Neale added 14 points for the Suns.
Scoot Henderson scored 15 points, Jerami Grant had 14 and Anfernee Simons contributed 13 points and 10 assists for Portland.
Beal’s layup with 32.6 seconds remaining in overtime moved Phoenix within 116-115. Ayton made two free throws with 7.8 seconds left to give Portland a 118-115 lead before Beal made two foul shots of his own to cut the Suns’ deficit to one with 5.9 seconds to go.
Ayton again made two free throws to make it a three-point margin with 5.5 seconds remaining. Booker was fouled by Avdija while attempting a 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left. He made the first two free throws before coming up short on the third.
Ayton got the rebound with 3.2 seconds left, got fouled and split two free throws. When Ayton missed the second, Grant got the rebound, and the clock ran out.
In regulation, Grant slammed home a dunk with 14.3 seconds left to give Portland a three-point edge.
Phoenix tied the game at 107 when O’Neale knocked down a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left.
Portland shot 44.9 percent from the field, going 16 of 40 from 3-point range.
The Suns made 47.1 percent of their overall attempts and were 15-for-42 from behind the arc.
Booker became the club’s all-time leading scorer when he knocked down a 3-pointer with 7:34 left in the third quarter to give the Suns a 65-58 lead.
The trey gave Booker 24 points for the game and 15,668 for his career, two more than Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Walter Davis scored for Phoenix between 1977-88. Booker finished the contest with 15,678 points.
Simons drained Portland’s ninth 3-pointer of the third quarter with 7.4 seconds left as the Trail Blazers took an 86-80 advantage into the final stanza.
Booker had 17 first-half points, and the Suns led 55-49 at the break.
–Field Level Media