Phoenix Suns forward Frank Kaminsky broke his career-high score in a very Kaminsky-style way, beating Portland's Norman Powell in a smooth first and second half, and he finished the game with perfect shooting feel. From the bench to the beast, the rise of big men in the rotation could become the norm.
Kaminsky scored 31 points, Chris Paul scored 21 and the Suns beat the Trail Blazers 119-109 on Wednesday night for their sixth win. The 7-foot-tall Kaminsky continued to play well, making up for the recent injury of starter DeAndre Ayton. The 28-year-old former Wisconsin Planet has scored at least 10 points in four of its last five games and is best on Wednesday, grabbing seven rebounds on 12-of-18 shooting.
"I still don't think it really hit me," Kaminsky said. But it's just a state of mind. Get on the field, do your best, and be prepared for anything. You never know when opportunities will come, so you have to make the most of them. The big man also grabbed an offensive rebound with 2:25 left in the game and fired at Mikalpbridges in the bottom corner, who shot three-pointers to give the Suns an unrivaled 10-point lead. It wasn't shocking when Kaminsky performed well: he was the 9th pick rookie of 2015 and averaged about 11 points per game in his second and third seasons.
Paul said he wasn't surprised by Kaminsky's big night: "He just knows how to play. 'Suns coach Monty Williams admitted Kaminsky has been fantastic over the past few weeks and it's his job to find a spot for him in the rotation, even if Ayton is back. He wasn't just there," Williams said. "He did a lot of things."
The Suns led 7-3. They led the entire second half, though Portland narrowed their lead to six points in the middle of the fourth quarter. Phoenix's Jackraude made several three-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Blazers stay out of the distance.
Damien Lillard scored a team-high 28 points and held the game to a stalemate in the fourth quarter with some strong individual ability. But every time he scored, the Suns gave the answer. Powell scored 23 points for the Trail Blazers and 18 for CJ McCollum.
Trail Blazers head coach Changsi Bilups said his team played hard but made too many mistakes. "You know how hard it is to win on the road in this league," Billups said. "If you don't bounce a little bit up from the neck, it's hard." The Trail Blazers have lost five of their last seven games.
At halftime, the Suns led 60-47. Kaminsky scored 18 points before half-time, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Paul scored 10 points. As tough times approach, the Suns are playing their best basketball of the season. Seven of the next 10 games were away. Crowder said: "I feel like our team is definitely on an upward trend in terms of staying in shape rather than playing in the mud and fatigue. "It's going hand in hand and we're going to have a tough month."
prompt
Trail Blazers: Bench guard Tony Snell played on his 30th birthday. He didn't score and rebound in eight minutes. Larinas Jr. scored 13 points off the bench.
Suns: Ayton didn't play for the third straight game due to a right leg contusion. Coach Monty Williams said Ayton had been on the pitch during training but there was no immediate timeline for his return. All five starters scored at least 10 points. McGee had 14 points and eight rebounds in just 16 minutes. Dwon Booker and Crowder each scored 12 points.
Next
Trail Blazers: Saturday morning in Houston.
Suns: Saturday morning in Memphis.