Phoenix Suns bounce back from stunning loss, top Trail Blazers
Devin Booker on being surrounded by young players on Suns
Devin Booker, once a young phenom, is now a veteran surrounded by young players: “It’s a lot of jokes.”
PORTLAND — The Phoenix Suns didn’t allow this one to get away.
After squandering a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter of the Nov. 16 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Suns led by as many as 25 in the fourth of their 127-110 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Nov. 18, before a crowd of 17,051 at Moda Center.
Devin Booker and Collin Gillespie paced Phoenix (9-6) with 19 points each to lead six Suns in double figures. Shaedon Sharpe scored a game-high 29 points with only nine coming in the second half for the Blazers (6-8).
The Suns begin a three-game homestand Friday, Nov. 21 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They follow that with a back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 23 and the Houston Rockets on Nov. 24 in Kevin Durant’s first game in Phoenix since the trade.
Portland has dropped its last three games, falling to Houston, 140-116 and Dallas in overtime, 138-133, Sunday, to end a five-game road trip and to Phoenix.
The Suns were without Grayson Allen, who will missed a second straight game with a right quad contusion, and Jalen Green, who remains sidelined with a right hamstring strain.
Phoenix announced last week that Green would be re-evaluated in four to six weeks as he reinjured it for a second time in road win Nov. 8 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Green and Allen both made the trip to Portland.
Suns take slim halftime lead, rookie cracks rotation
Phoenix leads, 64-61, at halftime against Portland. The Suns were ahead by as many as 11 points in the second quarter before the Blazers closed the half on an 8-0 run.
Devin Booker has a team-high 13 points while Mark Williams has 11. Shaedon Sharpe leads all scorers with 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Caleb Love, who finished his college career at Arizona, has 13 points off the bench for the Blazers.
Both teams are shooting poorly from 3. Phoenix is 6-of-19 while Portland is 6-of-23.
Phoenix has played 11 players in the first half with rookie Rasheer Fleming cracking the rotation. He has four points in six minutes.
Suns sticking with Dunn in starting lineup
Ryan Dunn will make a second straight start as Grayson Allen works his way back from a right quad contusion. Allen will miss a second straight game with the injury Tuesday against the Blazers.
Suns coach Jordan Ott explained why Dunn is starting as opposed to Collin Gillespie.
“How the team and our rotations are when (Devin Booker) comes off the floor, having a primary ball handler in the game, but also at the same time, Ryan has the ability to handle and initiate the offense,” Ott said pregame. “And then using Ryan’s minutes against some of those tougher matchups.”
The Suns are starting Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Dunn, Royce O’Neale and Mark Williams while the Blazers are starting Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Kris Murray, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan.
The Suns drafted Camara in the second round of the 2023 draft, but traded him to Portland before training camp that year in a deal that sent Deandre Ayton to the Blazers, Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and Jusuf Nurkic to the Suns.
Suns starting lineup at Blazers:
Devin Booker
Dillon Brooks
Ryan Dunn
Royce O’Neale
Mark WilliamsOUT: Jalen Green (hamstring), Grayson Allen (quad).
Blazers starters:
Deni Avdija
Shaedon Sharpe
Kris Murray
Toumani Camara
Donovan ClinganOUT: Jerami Grant (illness), Scoot… pic.twitter.com/006bzn9FuN
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 19, 2025
The Phoenix Suns waived two-way player CJ Huntley on Nov. 17, and signed guard Jamaree Bouyea (pronounced juh-MAR-ee boo-yay) to a two-way deal on Nov. 18, the team announced.
NBA teams can only have three two-way players. Isaiah Livers and rookie Koby Brea are also on two-way deals for the Suns.
Bouyea is with the Suns on this road trip. He has played for the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks. He’s scored a total of 53 points in 19 NBA career games from the 2022-23 season to the 2024-25 season.
The Suns are down two guards in Grayson Allen (right quad contusion) and Jalen Green (right hamstring strain). Allen missed Sunday’s loss, Nov. 16, to the Atlanta Hawks after suffering the injury in the first half of last week’s win against the Indiana Pacers.
Allen sat out the second half versus the Pacers.
Green has only played two games for the Suns in his first season with the team. Green scored 29 points in his debut Nov. 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers in a home victory after missing the first eight games of the season, but he reinjured his hamstring in the first quarter of a road win over the Clippers.
Green and Allen are with the team in Portland.
Huntley never played a game for the Suns. An undrafted rookie big out of Appalachian State, Huntley was on a two-way. He played three games for Phoenix’s G League team, Valley Suns.
Huntley averaged 13.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in three G League games this season.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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