NBA Games of the Week: Epic 40-point blowout potential

NBA Games of the Week: Epic blowout potential

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: Dwyane Wade #9 and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers walk up court during the game against the Boston Celtics on October 17, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3 of 6

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – OCTOBER 20: Damian Lillard /

Saturday, Oct. 28: Phoenix at Portland, 9:00 p.m. EST

There’s an argument to be made that the Suns should be on this list all five times. They’re 0-3 and have two 40-point losses already. They just fired coach Earl Watson. They’re young, lost and bullied by every opponent. Their defense has already given up 130 points twice, which means they’re primed for a 40-point shellacking when their anemic offense can’t compensate. Defense is about effort and communication and here’s how the Suns effort and communicate:

The Blazers already torched the Suns by 48 to start the season. They executed the formula for a 40-point win perfectly. They blitzed the Suns at the start and jumped out to a large lead. More importantly, they kept pace in garbage time when teams usually just roll out the reserves and get outscored. They hit more than 10 3-pointers and had six players in double figures. Myers Leonard was the only player who finish with a negative plus-minus, because of course Leonard would do that.

This time around they’ll have CJ McCollum, who missed the first game due to suspension. Worse for Phoenix, opening night was a home game. Could the Blazers take us to the vaunted 60-point margin? It’s not likely, but it’s in play, which is both depressing for the Suns and exhilarating for us who are suddenly invested in 40-point wins.

Home/NBA