Final Score: ummm, yeahhh. Phoenix Suns get spanked, bullied in ugly season opening loss

That was the worst basketball I may have ever seen at a Suns home game and I have seen a lot of bad basketball.

The Suns progressively got worse and worse, ending the half shooting 28% percent on 49 ugly shots, including missing their last 10 three point attempts.

They did not improve in the second half. In fact, it got worse.

Devin Booker was sluggish. Eric Bledsoe was alternately sluggish and reckless. Too many Suns possessions ended in ‘wtf okay I’ll take the shot’.

Meanwhile the Trail Blazers just played basketball, made shots and just simply dominated the scoreboard.

I’m not even going to post the final score.

Let’s just say worst loss in franchise history and leave it at that.

Fans actually started booing the guys when it got to be a 40-point deficit. This was good patience though, because they waited about an hour after they first reached a 25-point deficit. By the time it got to 55 the place didn’t even care anymore.

Hey here’s the BRIGHT SIDE: With the 48 point loss, at least it wasn’t a clean 50 POINT LOSS to commemorate 50 years as a franchise. Thank you Mike James.

Let’s go to the tape, Bob...

Starters

Suns do as expected and start the season small, with T.J. Warren and Josh Jackson as the forwards. Tyson Chandler, Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker reprise their normal spots in the lineup.

Blazers go small too with Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless at forward, along with Jusuf Nurkic, Damian Lillard and Evan Turner.

Out

Suns: Alex Len is out, as are Devon Reed, Brandon Knight, Alan Williams and Jared Dudley.

Trail Blazers: C.J. McCollum (suspended), Zach Collins and Noah Vonleh are out.

First half

Josh Jackson opens the scoring for the Suns 50th season with a three-ball from the corner, followed quickly by Devin Booker juking out his defender and scoring in the high post area.

Then Jackson drew defenders and dished nicely inside to Tyson Chandler, followed by a fast-break finish.

Nice start rook!

Suns up 9-2 early.

Eric Bledsoe had a slow start (0-3 with a foul committed) and was the first player substituted out, for Tyler Ulis, when the Suns lead was 11-9.

Both teams scuffled a bit the rest of the first quarter, shooting only 41.2% each. After Harkless drew two quick fouls, the Blazers went even smaller with Pat Connaughton - who scored a quick 8 points with 3 shots off the bench.

Bender and Chriss came in late in the first and failed to impress immediately. Bender passed up an open shot, while Chriss went soft twice with the ball and got stuffed both times.

Chriss failed to show any energy as the Blazers went on a run, often scoring against Chriss lackadaisical defense and offense.

The Blazers quickly got up 29-19.

Chriss sat down.

Suns are down to 36.4% shooting after one. Ugh.

End of one: Blazers up 29-21.

The Suns came back out with Bledsoe and Booker to start the second quarter, along with Josh Jackson.

It was Dragan Bender’s defense inside and on the perimeter that sparked a Suns mini-comeback to 34-28 before the Blazers settled in (with constant attacks of the basket) to take back a 39-28 lead.

By this time, the Suns were down to 32% shooting for the game. 25% in the second quarter. Nearly all of them makable shots.

The game got out of hand there, with Portland going up 50-35 as the Suns shooting got all the way down to 30%.

Portland at this point has 24 bench points to Suns 0.

Portland is 7-13 on threes plus a 3-point FT play making them really 8-14. The Suns? 1-11. With the only make on the Suns first shot.

This has to get better right? The Suns can’t shoot 28% for the season can they?

Don’t answer that.

Suns finish the first half shooting 28% on 49 shot attempts. And on those 14 field goal makes: only 4 assists.

Blazers up 60-35. This after the Suns started the game going up 9-2. That’s a 58-26 run folks. Ugh.

The Suns are fighting but just can’t do anything right. I mean, anything.

Second half

Welp, the Suns did not open the second half any better than they ended the first half.

Blazers go on a 9-2 run to start the second and the Suns just look completely spent. No energy. Booker passing up shots. Bledsoe forcing shots. No one else even moving. Ugly.

Ok I’m done making notes.

I’m putting as much effort into writing a recap as the Suns put into the last three quarters.