Clingan scores 23 points to lead Trail Blazers past short-handed Suns 92-77
PHOENIX (AP) — Donovan Clingan had 23 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the Portland Trail Blazers past the short-handed Phoenix Suns, 92-77 on Sunday night.
Jerami Grant also scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting. The Trail Blazers bounced back from an ugly 157-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday and have won five of their past seven.
Portland built a 20-point lead by late in the third quarter and settled for a 71-57 advantage heading into the fourth. Collin Gillespie hit two 3-pointers to cut it to 80-69 with 7:36 left but Grant responded with a 3 to turn back the rally.
Gillespie led Phoenix with 18 points, and Jalen Green had 13. Coming off a 113-110 double-overtime win over Orlando at home Saturday, the Suns shot just 36.9% from the field and the 77 points were a season low.
It was a sloppy game for both teams — the Blazers had 21 turnovers and the Suns had 19.
Portland took a 47-40 lead into halftime after Phoenix shot just 2 of 19 (10.5%) from 3-point range. Grant led the Blazers with 12 points before the break.
Portland lost leading scorer Deni Avdija after just one minute after the All-Star aggravated a lower back injury. Avdija — who has been battling low back issues for several weeks — was listed as questionable coming into the game.
The Suns were missing a big chunk of their regular rotation, including All-Star guard Devin Booker (hip strain), forward Dillon Brooks (fractured hand), guard Grayson Allen (knee/ankle) and guard Jordan Goodwin (calf).
The four players are averaging more than 70 points per game combined.
Up next
Trail Blazers: Host Minnesota on Tuesday night.
Suns: Host Boston on Tuesday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
South Carolina's SCHSL high school boys basketball playoff brackets, results and schedules
South Carolina's SCHSL boys basketball championships head to the quarterfinals this coming week.
Tre Jones with the 2 Pt - Yahoo Sports Canada
South Carolina's SCHSL high school boys basketball playoff brackets, results and schedules
South Carolina's SCHSL high school boys basketball playoff brackets, results and schedules originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
South Carolina's SCHSL boys basketball playoffs head to the quarterfinals starting Monday across the six playoff brackets that comprise the Palmetto State's postseason structure, and one game, in particular, will likely grab most of the headlines.
The state's top-ranked Gray Collegiate Academy [West Columbia, SC] War Eagles will meet the state's No. 6 North Augusta [SC] Yellow Jackets in a rematch of last year's Class 4A state semifinal won by North Augusta, 66-56, in overtime.
The teams enter the game with nearly identical records – Gray is 24-2 and North Augusta is 23-3 – but, this time, the War Eagles are solid favorites having already beaten the Yellow Jackets twice this season by eight points on both occasions. Of course, both games were close enough that North Augusta has to be considered a serious threat to Gray Collegiate Academy's hopes of hoisting the Class AAAA state championship trophy at the season's conclusion.
South Carolina's Class AAAAA ranks, meanwhile, are split into two brackets, and Division I has the edge with four of the state's top-ranked Class AAAAA teams playing in the division quarterfinals. That includes the No. 2 Ridge View [Columbia, SC] Blazers who will be taking on the No. 4 Dorman [Roebuck, SC] Cavaliers for the right to advance to the semifinals. The No. 3 James F. Byrnes [Duncan, SC] Rebels and the No. 6 West Ashley [Charleston, SC] Wildcats are also part of the Division I cohort looking to advance to the final four.
The SCHSL Class AAAAA Division II bracket features the classification's top-ranked Riverside [Greer, SC] Warriors and the No. 5 Greenville [SC] Red Raiders among the quarterfinalists trying to get to the state semifinals.
SCHSL Class AAAAA Division I bracket and final results
2026 South Carolina Boys Basketball State Championships: SCHSL Class AAAAA Division I
SCHSL Class AAAAA Division II bracket and final results
2026 South Carolina Boys Basketball State Championships: SCHSL Class AAAAA Division II
SCHSL Class AAAA bracket and final results
2026 South Carolina Boys Basketball State Championships: SCHSL Class AAAA
SCHSL Class AAA bracket and final results
2026 South Carolina Boys Basketball State Championships: SCHSL Class AAA
SCHSL Class AA bracket and final results
2026 South Carolina Boys Basketball State Championships: SCHSL Class AA
SCHSL Class A bracket and final results
2026 South Carolina Boys Basketball State Championships: SCHSL Class A
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