Game Recap: Suns defeat Trail Blazers behind strong second half in Las Vegas, 81-79

The Phoenix Suns tipped off their Summer League schedule in Las Vegas on Friday night, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 81-79.

It was a tale of two halves for the Phoenix Suns. In the first half, they couldn’t hit a shot, going 0-of-9 from beyond the arc and scoring only 24 points. Sure, quarters are shortened to 10 minutes in Summer League, but 24 points is still 24 points. It was ugly basketball.

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Then the Suns came out of the locker room with some fire, and you could see the difference on both ends of the floor. Phoenix trailed by as many as 16 points, but after scoring 57 in the second half, they completed the comeback and walked away with an 81-79 victory.

DJ Steward led the way for Portland with 21 points, while Yang Hansen finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Javonte Cook led Phoenix with 21 points, but it was the performances from the Suns’ young prospects that impressed the most. Khaman Maluach finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while rookie Koa Peat added 17 points and nine boards. Rasheer Fleming chipped in six points and 10 rebounds, along with two steals and two blocks.

The Suns’ defense came alive in the second half, creating turnovers, generating transition opportunities, and giving the offense the energy it desperately needed. It was far from perfect, but the young Suns responded when things looked ugly and found a way to win their first Summer League game.

Game Flow

First Half

The game started a little later than planned because the matchup before it, between the Celtics and Raptors, went into overtime. Because why wouldn’t an 8 p.m. Suns start get delayed? Typical Suns stuff.

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Thankfully, it’s a Friday night.

The first points of the game came after rookie Kia Peat snagged an offensive rebound and then through Ali loop to Khaman Maluach. Chefs kiss? Yes, chefs kiss.

That was the only made basket for the Suns on their first 12 attempts, as they opened the game shooting 8.3% from the field. It was clear Phoenix wanted to see what Maluach could provide on the perimeter, as he began the night 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Despite the brutal…

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Publish date : 2026-07-11 05:13:00

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