Takeaways from Suns loss to Trail Blazers. Defense, 3s major issues

The Phoenix Suns were once again reminded why they have the NBA’s worst defense by the team that blasted them by 41 points in the season opener.

The Portland Trail Blazers continued their dominance over the Suns, winning 132-119, on Nov. 4 before a sellout crowd of 17,071 at Mortgage Matchup Center. This was their fourth straight win over Phoenix dating back to last season.

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The Blazers (6-1) exceeded the 124 points they scored on the Suns in the Oct. 21 opener in Portland. The Suns (1-5) surrendered a season-high in points in dropping a fourth straight game.

Here are takeaways from Wednesday’s game, the first of a back-to-back with the next game Thursday, Nov. 5, against the Orlando Magic (2-5), part of a season-long seven-game homestand.

Reality check on defense

Suns coach Jordan Ott and his coaching staff have hammered the importance of playing defense since the start of training camp.

They’ve explained how doing so can lead to transition opportunities, easy baskets and better offensive flow.

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Realizing they have a smaller team, the Suns coaches have stressed boxing out to help control the defensive backboard.

The Suns finished ninth last season in the NBA in defensive rating, a key to their surprise season that led to a first-round playoff berth. That should serve as motivation to continue playing at a high level on that end. So far this season, the Suns have the worst defensive rating in the NBA.

The players have listened, understand much of their success depends on defending, but continue to struggle guarding the ball and defending off-ball movement. They’ve had poor rotations, lack of effort and miscommunication.

Through six games, the Suns have shown they’re a bad defensive team. They might just remain one despite knowing they must drastically improve on that end to win with consistency.

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Wednesday, they were missing Jordan Goodwin, the team’s best on-ball defender. He sat out with right calf soreness, but the Suns were last in defensive rating before he went down in Monday’s loss at Golden State.

Best shooter with no 3-point attempts?

When a team is this bad on the defensive end, it better be super prolific on offense, particularly from 3.

The Suns weren’t Wednesday night in shooting 10-of-36. They came into the game shooting 35.1% from 3.

Not bad, but they also entered the season with questions about their perimeter offense after trading two of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale to Charlotte to acquire Miles Bridges.

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Allen and O’Neale, both in their 30s, weren’t the best defenders.

The thought was Phoenix would get younger and more athletic with Bridges while the addition of Luke Kennard, the league leader in 3-point percentage three different seasons, was going to make up for dealing Allen and O’Neale.

It hasn’t nearly enough to offset bad defense, especially if Kennard is going to play 14 minutes and not attempt one 3, which is what happened Wednesday. Not one. That simply can’t happen.

Kennard must force 3s over defense. He can’t wait for an open window.

“He’s the best shooter on the team,” Suns guard Jalen Green said. “He needs to get them up.”

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Collin Gillespie can’t go 0-for-4 from distance either, but the Suns have a bigger problem.

They have four starters in Dillon Brooks, Devin Booker (33 points Wednesday to lead the team), Bridges and Green who came into Wednesday’s game shooting a combined 31-of-93 on 3s. On Wednesday, they were 8-of-26.

The Suns need at least two of those four guys to shoot a higher percentage on any given night.

Foul prone

Playing better defense is a given, but that’s already a broken record just six games into the season. Too many fouls are part of that problem.

“It’s been the same story the whole season,” Booker said. “We’ve done a good job in spots, but we haven’t been able to, you know, put together 48 minutes, so, you know, we’ve got to find a way to do it.”

Having four starters with at least four fouls Wednesday, with Booker fouling out and Brooks, Green and Bridges whistled for five, says everything about their defense. Seeing Portland attempt 41 free throws, making 30, should confirm their inability to “guard their yard” as Green put it after the game.

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Combine that with lack of rotation on shooters, failing to get back on defense and protecting the defense backboard, it’s not hard to see why the Suns have the NBA’s worst defense.

Portland fully exploited that – again.

The Trail Blazers shot 14-of-39 from 3 with Jrue Holiday going 5-of-9. They racked up 56 points in the paint.

They scored 20 points off 12 Phoenix turnovers, grabbed 16 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second-chance points.

Missing Mark Williams?

Ott said the Suns are missing 7-footer Mark Williams on defense. He’s sidelined after having left shoulder surgery in the offseason for a torn labrum and will be out for an extended period. Ott called Williams a rim deterrent. He led the Suns in blocks per game last season at 0.9.

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With Williams sidelined, the Suns have played 20-year-old Khaman Maluach, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft. He was viewed as a shot blocker in his one-and-done year at Duke. Through six games, all starts, Maluach has six blocks.

Green, who stands just 6-4, has the same number of rejections. Oso Ighodaro, at 6-11, has four blocks in four games.

Teams have no fear in attacking the rim, which puts even more pressure on the perimeter defenders to keep their man in front.

Again, it might get worse.

Blazers balling early

Portland continues to win despite being without their second-best player, Ja Morant, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury. They are winning with rookie head coach Micah Nori, a longtime assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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The Blazers have a very strong roster starting with their top eight players.

Morant is playing within the system yet delivering when it’s time to be that guy. Damian Lillard, who led the Blazers with 25 points Wednesday, is a steady presence who can still get to the rim even if it’s more stepping to it than darting past defenders post Achilles injury.

Deni Avdija is a force has more space to operate because of Lillard and Toumani Camara, the team’s best defender, has started the season on fire from 3. Holiday is an NBA champion who does whatever is necessary to win.

Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III are perfect starter-bench big men. Defensive minded, rim finishers with Clingan being to knock down 3s. Scoot Henderson has settled into a sixth man role knowing he could be a starter elsewhere, but he’s playing a key role for a playoff team.

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Portland’s 41-point win over Phoenix in the season opener was just as much about the Blazers’ potential as the Suns’ defensive woes.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Takeaways from Suns loss to Trail Blazers. Defense, 3s major issues

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