PHOENIX — The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns 114-110 on Tuesday night in the league’s annual Play-In Tournament, rallying from an early eight-point deficit and stealing the game late with a Deni Avdija drive and a Jerami Grant strip.
Portland, which advanced to the 2026 NBA Playoffs as the 7th seed, will open a best-of-seven first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday evening.
The Blazers trailed by eight early before answering in the first quarter and went to halftime up 65-62. Phoenix then clawed back, even though Portland’s defense kept protecting the lane and the three-point arc while the Suns leaned on the midrange game that has long defined Devin Booker.
That approach nearly worked. Portland scored only 18 points in the third period, while Phoenix put up 20, and the Suns led by eight with 3:30 remaining. But the Blazers closed harder, and the final sequence turned on Avdija’s drive and Grant’s steal, two plays that sent Portland through and left Phoenix out.
The Suns also made 9 of their first 11 shots, a fast start that gave them immediate control before Portland settled in. In the end, the difference was not the opening burst or the midrange touch; it was the ability to make the last two plays that mattered most.
