The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns, 109-71, at the Rose Garden on Friday night to improve to 12-8 on the season.

You would be right to feel an obvious sense of deja vu after this one because the same basic formula that secured fairly simple victories over the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies produced a complete blowout third win of the week against the Suns.

What do I mean by same basic formula? Well, Portland was tied after one against Sacramento, tied after one against Memphis and down three after one to Phoenix. After those 12 minute grace periods that have been dotted with sloppy and/or low energy play, Portland has kicked things from first into sixth gear during the second and third quarters, relying on its defensive energy to hold opponents to uber-low point totals and exploiting its available offensive mismatches to ruthless effect.

The at-home numbers, added up, are fairly stunning. In this week's three home wins, Portland won second quarters by an average of 27 to 15 and won third quarters by an average of 28-14. Add up all six of those quarters and the damage was 155-87. In other words, in the deciding stages of games that began relatively even, Portland has nearly doubled its opponents this week. What's more, in three of those six quarters, they held opponents to 13 points or less, including an atrocious 9-point second quarter by the Suns on Friday night. That's insurmountable.

And it's exactly the kind of play that will lead a player of Grant Hill's stature to say afterwards, according to Sean Meagher of OregonLive.com: "We kind of folded. We stopped competing there as soon as they came out and hit us hard."

The only meaningful new development from this game was Blazers coach Nate McMillan's insertion of Nicolas Batum as the first substitute off the bench in place of Wesley Matthews, who missed his first three shots. The effect wasn't immediate, but as Jamal Crawford checked in and the quintet of Crawford/ Batum /Gerald Wallace/LaMarcus Aldridge and Marcus Camby got some time together, this game turned from a back-and-forth affair into a beat down.

It's a lineup that we saw late in games a few times early in the season, one that's extremely long defensively and one that puts four of Portland's strongest offensive weapons -- Aldridge, Wallace, Batum's 3-point shooting and Crawford's shot creation -- on the court at the same time.

"Just thinking about my rotation," McMillan said of the change. "You're trying to rotate 10 guys. I wanted to shorten that rotation, I want to see Nic and Gerald on the floor at the same time. That lineup has been pretty good for us at times. Whether Nic is at the 2 or the 3 and Gerald is at the 3 or the 4."

I mentioned in the Kings Media Row Report earlier this year that I don't mind the score-first Crawford in that ball-handling role late in games, and that's especially true if starting point guard Raymond Felton is on the fritz, as he often has been this year. The plan, in those situations when Crawford is needed at the one, is to simplify everything into a two-man game with Aldridge and make reads from there. I'm not sure that there's a more efficient way for this specific roster to play offensively over the course of a large number of possessions, at least in a halfcourt setting.

On Friday night, we saw the group at just about full tilt on both sides.

Offensively, it's not all that reasonable to expect these results on a regular basis, given the numbers posted. Crawford had 10 assists, the most he has had in a regular season game since February 2007. (Pause to chuckle. That's pretty hilarious.)

"Some games I'm going to score more, but tonight I thought it was one where I needed to get my teammates involved and dictate the flow that way," Crawford said. "We saw something with the pick and roll, we were able to get pretty much whatever we wanted that way."

Aldridge, who had 17 first half points on just 10 shots, was the major beneficiary. He finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists on 10-for-16 shooting in 32 minutes.

"I knew he could pass," Aldridge said, when asked what came over the shoot-first Crawford.

"In his [charity] game I helped him get 40 points passing," Crawford made sure to interject, before Aldridge could go any further.

Defensively, the group totally dismantled a Suns team that made just four field goals in the entire second quarter. McMillan pointed to Batum's ball pressure on Suns guard Steve Nash as the key.

"It starts with the pressure on the ball," he said. I thought it started with Raymond picking up full court and then when Nic came in, as opposed to having Crawford up there, we went with Nic on the ball. I thought tonight he played Nash as well as he's played him in the last few years."

Nash finished with just 5 points and 7 assists on 2-for-7 shooting in 24 minutes, sitting for a huge stretch of the second half because the game was out of reach.

The group's play was good by itself, but particularly good in comparison to the opening stretch, which saw Felton shoot 1-for-3 and commit 3 turnovers in the first 7 minutes of the game. He really front-loads and back-loads the bone-headed decisions, and it's a minor miracle the Rose Garden hasn't turned on him yet with some of these lackadaisical and ill-advised perimeter passes.

For the record, Portland was down 15-12 when Felton checked out at roughly the five minute mark of the first quarter and was up 42-32 when he finally came back 4 minutes left in the second quarter. That 30-17 push changed the game. He promptly committed a senseless charge almost immediately upon re-entry. The only available response to that type of play, as discussed after he bottomed out against the New Orleans Hornets, is to cut his minutes and his ball-handling duties, and that's what happened Friday.

If it has worked in the fourth quarter before, why not try it in the first?

From there, it kept escalating quickly. Matthews hit four third quarter 3-pointers, Wallace harassed everyone in sight, Camby snared 20 rebounds and Brick got crazy and broke out the trident, and, before you know it, the deep reserves were in to mop up the blood.

Random Game Notes

• Jamal Crawford on Steve Nash: "He's like the Tom Brady of point guards. He's so smart, he's seen every defense. He picks it apart."
• Suns guard Sebastian Telfair wound up getting ejected with less than 10 seconds remaining in what wound up being a 38-point blowout. That's not easy. Mild-mannered Blazers guard Nolan Smith, who was whistled for a double technical with Telfair on one of the exchanges, explained that his ball pressure defense annoyed Telfair: "Times get chippy... Attitudes are flaring, of course when I get in and Elliot and us get in we're going to play hard. Get after you, get under you, and they didn't like that... It happens. He plays hard, some words were said, it happens... He had already been kind of mad the whole game. I think he did some things to Nic earlier and was kind of pushing everybody around. When I got in, he didn't still want to be pushed around."
• Markieff Morris is kind of short.
• Detroit Lions defensive lineman, former Grant High standout, terrible automobile operator and spastic leg patient Ndamukong Suh attended Friday night's game.
• Nice to see a Chris Johnson cameo. Big dunk (and a bizarre technical foul).
• Elliot Williams' stepback jumper was a thing of beauty. A little taste of the vertical on his putback dunk, too.
• The Blazers were unanimous in looking forward to two days without a game. An autograph session for season ticketholders cuts into the off day on Saturday though.
• Felton's pre-game song choice was "Nothin" by Young Jeezy, not to be confused with "Nothin" by His Three-Point Percentage.
• I had the pleasure of moderating a panel at the 2012 Sports and Entertainment Law Conference hosted by the University of Oregon's Law School. One of the panelists was a law professor at Pepperdine who proudly noted that former Blazers GM Rich Cho was a Pepperdine Law alum. I learned two things from the experience: 1) NCAA lawyers definitely don't think "amateur" athletes should be paid, not even one penny more than their scholarship, regardless of how many millions their coach makes or how many billions the television deals are worth and 2) there is not a shortage of lawyers-in-training who also happen to self-identify as aspiring Blazers GMs. So, Paul Allen, good news: continue with the firing spree without a second thought. The 2018ish basketball operations executive class looks to be one of the deepest in years. Thanks to Blaine and Matt for the invite and to the Blazersedge readers who said hello before immediately goading me into talking trash about LeBron James. Those dang lawyers. A crafty lot.

Nate McMillan's Post-Game Comments

The full game from everyone that you were looking for

It was tonight. I thought from start to finish our effort was good. I thought the pressure defensively was good on the ball. There wasn't a drop off when we made substitutions. It seemed like we got stronger when the quarters went on. In the second quarter we hold them to nine points and in the third quarter we come out and jump on them again and hold them to 12. This is what we're looking for from our guys. Everybody played well both ends of the floor. The defense was, I thought we disrupted, we rebounded which led to some easy baskets and put us in rhythm.

Put in Batum and Crawford in the first quarter and go on run

Just thinking about my rotation. You're trying to rotate 10 guys. I wanted to shorten that rotation, I want to see Nic and Gerald on the floor at the same time. That lineup has been pretty good for us at times. Whether Nic is at the 2 or the 3 and Gerald is at the 3 or the 4. But getting those guys out there. Nic I thought really was solid on the ball tonight guarding Nash and making him work.

What changed defensively in the second and third quarters

It starts with the pressure on the ball. I thought it started with Raymond picking up full court and then when Nic came in as opposed to having Crawford up there we went with Nic on the ball. I thought tonight he played Nash as well as he's played him in the last few years. That's where it starts, on the ball, weakside was good. Camby, again, dominating the boards, which led to 22 turnovers which led to 24 points. If you can force teams into turnovers you should get some easy baskets.

Wesley Matthews got hot in the third quarter

I firmly believe that defense gets you moving. Guys tend to play in a better flow when they are playing defense. The unfortunate part about it, a lot of guys want to see that ball go in the basket before they start playing defense. Tonight he came out and worked. He took his shot when it was there and didn't hesitate. He was looking for it and shot it with confidence and it was good to see the ball go in the hole for him. He can shoot the ball and tonight he didn't hesitate.

Home versus road. How do you carry over?

Now we have to think about that. You look at this team tonight, look at Phoenix. Perfect example. They didn't play last night, they came in and were rested but they do have a back-to-back tomorrow night. They looked like we did when we went to Phoenix. What's going on? I think crowds at your home court motivates you and brings energy to the building. We have to find a way to create our own energy on the road.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

The Short Version

Wow. After a close first quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers opened up a can of revenge, using strong defense and hot shooting to leave the Phoenix Suns demoralized and defeated by 38 points. Tonight's most popular phrase? "And the Suns called timeout." The fans were rewarded with an extended view of Luke Babbitt, Chris Johnson and Elliot Williams.

The Long Version

The game started with the trademark "Blazers slow start", as Grant Hill and Steve Nash sliced them up to the tune of 13 points in the first 7 minutes. Meanwhile, I get to use the word "discombobulated" again to describe the Portland offense. After 6 minutes, Nate McMillan saw enough and called timeout, with the Blazers lucky to only be down by 3. The teams traded turnovers for a few more minutes before yet another timeout. Phoenix clearly scouted the Blazer entry passes, and took every opportunity to intercept them. However, they forgot how to take the ball up court, as the Blazers regularly returned the favor before the Suns passed the half-court line. The quarter wound down with sporadic scoring, 14 combined turnovers, and still a 3 point Suns lead.

We pick up in the second where we left off, with lacklust---- HELLO NIC BATUM! First a three, then a dunk that brought the Rose Garden fans to their feet. Add in a quick steal and layup, and Phoenix called timeout.... to little effect. Batum continued his rampage, Crash alley-ooped to Aldridge for a dunk, and the Blazers were up 12 on a 21-6 run. Time for another Suns timeout, during which they quickly brought back Nash, Hill and Gortat. This timeout worked! … well, kind of. Phoenix's defense caused a 3.5 minute Blazer scoring drought, but Portland only allowed one Grant Hill jumper. Add in some more Aldridge and Wallace goodness, and the Blazers led by 14 at the half. Portland’s defense was all the difference in that quarter, as they outscored Phoenix 26-9. Phoenix repeatedly settled for contested outside shots, and at one point, a possession ended with a (!) 24-second violation.

Wait, did I say 14 point lead? Within 1 minute of the third, make it 19. Phoenix starts to tighten up a little. 21 point lead. 23. A Camby alley-oop to LaMarcus makes it 24, the Rose Garden is rocking and (wait for it...) the Suns call timeout. They just can’t get anything started... Steve Nash missed free throws. Grant Hill missed layups. And Camby snagged all the rebounds. Mark it down, with 5:30 left in the third, Nash missed an inside shot, Camby rebounded, and that was the last moment Phoenix held out any hopes of a comeback.

After that, the Blazers said, "Enough fooling around, we're done here". Wesley Matthews for three, good! Wait, Wesley Matthews for three again? GOOD! Just like that, it’s a 29 point lead! And say it with me... "the Suns call timeout". The Blazers were on a 47-15 run, and the Suns looked shell-shocked and dumbfounded as they head to the bench. Back to the game and... wait, Wesley for three again? GOOD! Wallace for three? GOOD!! It’s a 33 point lead! So, Crash Wallace dives into the crowd, and Phoenix has a 4-on-5 possession? No problem for the Blazer D, plus Crash is waiting at the other end! 35 point lead. Remember how disheartened the Blazers looked in Phoenix? Double that. But the Blazers begin to shoot lazy jumpers on every possession, and Sarge calls a timeout. A little prevent offense/defense led to a 33 point lead after three.

The fourth quarter was an extended Garden party, capped by a few emphatic Elliot Williams dunk and some streamers.

The Players

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points (on 16 shots) and 7 rebounds, in what could be termed a "quiet night". He was classic LaMarcus: Leading scorer, and there when you need him. Phoenix struggled to keep him contained all night, but the Blazers distributed the points around, so he was able to play decoy at times. His "missed shot, put-back dunk" move is coming along nicely.

As noted above, Nicolas Batum (14 points, 5 rebounds) was the spark. As the Blazers stalled, he opened up the second quarter on fire, hitting a three then nailing a contested dunk to spike the energy in the arena. His 10 points and strong overall play in the second were the turning point.

Marcus Camby didn't score a point tonight, but when you grab 20 rebounds in 23 minutes, nobody is worried about your points. He also kept Marcin Gortat off-balance at both ends. This is the second time Camby has pulled down 20+ rebounds with zero points, and he is only one of three NBA players to ever do so. (Reggie Evans and Dennis Rodman are the other two)

Gerald Wallace was his usual home x-factor, with 17 points and 2 steals. His finger was clearly bothering him on multiple plays, including a few missed layups that might previously have been dunks.

Wesley Matthews continues to show signs of recovery, as you may have noticed in the recap. He finished with 16 points, on 4-7 from downtown, and added 4 assists. He was a second-half dynamo, breaking the game wide open.

Raymond Felton was, well, nondescript. 4 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers in a low 22 minutes. He might be the only player with nothing for the highlight reel. Phoenix keyed in on entry passes, which hurt Felton early, and he never got on track. Good thing it was a game where he really wasn't needed.

Jamal Crawford was a coach's dream tonight, scoring only 9 points, but with 10 assists and a steal. He was very comfortable simply letting everyone else get the shots, while hitting 4 of 7 shots when the Blazers needed some instant offense.

Elliot Williams scored 8 points on 50% shooting, including a few signature dunks. I place the over/under on Williams-themed weekend fanposts at 3.5

Luke Babbitt, Craig Smith, Nolan Smith, and Chris Johnson all joined Elliot in garbage time, each getting points on the board.

Key stats

Second chance points: Portland 19, Phoenix 0.

Turnovers after the first quarter: Phoenix 14, Portland 7.

Assists: Portland 28, Phoenix 18

Rebounds: Portland 58, Phoenix 41.

The Rest

Wow, that was a fun game huh? The Blazers were way overdue for a game like this: A statement to the NBA, "On any given night, we can do this to you." Phoenix may have been tired at the end of a road trip, but this is a short season, and the Blazers did what a good team should do. As a bonus, the Blazers get 2 full days off, a little time to practice, then are back in action Monday in Utah.

Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers box score

Enjoy the weekend, and if you missed it, catch a replay (tonight at 1am, tomorrow at 10pm). Absolutely worth your time. -- Tim

Edit: The Jersey Contest Scoreboard and the form for Monday's game.

After a slow first quarter, the Blazers ramped up the defense and zoomed by the Suns for a 14 point lead. Hang out here and discuss the second half! -- Tim

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: CSNNW

The Phoenix Suns aren't the worst team the Portland Trail Blazers have played this season. They're just the team that has laid the worst whuppin' on the guys in red and black. At 6-11 on the season such blowouts are rare for the Suns. I'm sure they remember it well. Hopefully so do the Blazers.

The Suns have managed a 2-2 record over their last four games, beating New York and Boston while narrowly losing to the Mavericks and Raptors, all but the final contest played on the road. They've managed this small not-losing streak by curtailing their overtly generous defensive tendencies. They had given up 100 in 6 of 13 games prior including their last 5 in a row. Every time that happens they lose. They even managed to give up 110 to New Jersey and 118 to Chicago...atrocious numbers. But the opponent has been under 90 three times in their last four.

Phoenix's defensive trouble traces to a simple source. They're a pace-control, possession-control defense but they can't rebound. Fast break controlled? Check. Lane guarded? Pretty much. Hand in face on shot? OK. Ooops! Where's the ball? If you're willing to play down to their defense, walking the ball and being content with one shot they have a fighting chance against you. If you work at all they'll have trouble stopping you. They just don't have the big men to manage a physical contest. Eventually they get tired of the pounding, their defensive gravity diminishes, and you achieve escape velocity.

The Suns are anemic offensively. They're one of a litany of teams the Blazers have played lately that struggle to score easy points. They don't fast-break except in the most obvious situations. Their gig is slow tempo now. They don't have paint scorers. They don't draw free throws. They're jump-shooters. They'll feed center Marcin Gortat every once in a while That's the repertoire.

And the repertoire, sadly, is unreliable. Make no mistake, Gortat and Steve Nash are very good. Nash is above 14 point, 10 assists on 53.5% shooting. Gortat gives 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and is crowding the 60% mark from the field. But neither one can carry the team on a nightly basis and their teammates just don't provide enough support. Their inside players sport mediocre percentages, their perimeter players awful ones. Nobody outside of Nash can hit a three reliably. They run 9 deep but 7 of those 9 average below 10 ppg (with Gortat's 15 being the team high). I don't always believe everything that PER says but outside of Nash, Gortat, and Hakim Warrick the entire team is below 13 in John Hollinger's favorite metric, with 15 being the average. Rookie Markieff Morris is about the only reason to get excited outside of the obvious lead players. Other than that, this lineup is ranges between "blah" and "blech".

The Blazers simply need to remember the earlier debacle in Phoenix and take their revenge. If Portland gets even a bit physical they should take this game. They'll have no problem keeping somebody on Gortat. If they have to sink a couple people down on him it's not like Phoenix will kill you with their shooters. Phoenix needs help to win. Grab rebounds, keep the tempo up, and this game is Portland's.

Read about the Suns at Bright Side Of The Sun

Enter tonight's Jersey Contest form here.

Blazers smash now.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)