more photosPHOENIX — Suns coach Alvin Gentry retooled his starting lineup with the hope he'd get a little more scoring from his top unit.
He did.
Marcin Gortat scored a season-high 22 points in only three quarters and the Suns routed the Portland Trail Blazers 114-87 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
“We came out ready to play," Gortat said. “We had two new guys in the starting lineup and we were a little bit better defensively. It's a great win but we need to forget about it really fast."
Gortat had told a reporter for Polish newspaper Przeglad Sportowy after the Suns' loss to the Lakers on Friday that he didn't believe he was “even an option for (Suns coach Alvin) Gentry."
But against the Blazers, Gortat was a key component of a Phoenix offense that shot 60 percent from the field in the first half en route to a 57-44 lead and a season-best 59.7 percent for the game. Gortat was 11 of 14 from the floor and added seven rebounds.
“Honestly, we can't get excited about that game because Portland didn't play their best game," Gortat said.
The new starters, Markieff Morris and Shannon Brown, were productive for the Suns.
Morris had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Brown added 10, including a pair of 3-pointers as Phoenix rallied from a four-point deficit in the opening minutes to take the lead for good with 7:23 left in the first quarter.
“I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself so I just came out and played hard," Morris said.
Damian Lillard had 24 points and three assists for the Blazers, who had won three straight. Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum had 13 points apiece for Portland, which was without starting center JJ Hickson, out with a left shoulder sprain.
“All that matters to me is we got blown out," Lillard said.
The Trail Blazers committed 20 turnovers, received only 13 points from their reserves — seven in the fourth quarter and was outscored 54-24 in the paint.
“That is a strength of theirs and not necessarily our strength so I did probably anticipate a differential but not 30," said Blazers coach Terry Stotts. “It's not all effort. It's being mentally engaged."
In other Wednesday games:
Thunder 117
Clippers 111
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 35 points, Russell Westbrook added 23 and Oklahoma City's All-Star tandem scored all of the Thunder's points in overtime in a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Heat 113
Bucks 106
MIAMI — LeBron James had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Dwyane Wade also had 28 points and Miami scored the first six points of overtime on the way to beating Milwaukee.
Mavericks 114
Knicks 111
DALLAS — O.J. Mayo scored 10 of 27 points in the final 6 minutes of the third quarter when Dallas charged ahead, and the Mavericks held off New York.
Nuggets 101
Timberwolves 94
MINNEAPOLIS — Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points and Andre Iguodala had 18 points and nine rebounds for Denver to spoil Kevin Love's surprise season debut for Minnesota.
Pacers 115
Hornets 107
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George scored 33 of his career-high 37 points in the second half and overtime, and Roy Hibbert had a triple-double in Indiana's victory over New Orleans.
Hawks 101
Wizards 100
ATLANTA — Kyle Korver hit a long 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime to lift Atlanta past Washington, extending the Wizards' franchise-worst start to 0-10.
Bobcats 98
Raptors 97
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ramon Sessions hit a 16-footer with 28 seconds left and Charlotte made a late defensive stand to beat Toronto for its fifth win in six games.
Cavaliers 92
76ers 83
CLEVELAND — Jeremy Pargo scored a career-high 28 points filling in for the injured Kyrie Irving to help Cleveland end a six-game losing streak.
Spurs 112
Celtics 100
BOSTON — Tony Parker scored a season-high 26 points, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and reserve Tiago Splitter added a season-high 23 points for San Antonio.
Rockets 93
Bulls 89
HOUSTON — James Harden scored 28 points, Patrick Patterson added 20 and Houston beat Chicago to snap a three-game losing streak.
Magic 90
Pistons 74
ORLANDO, Fla. — Andrew Nicholson scored 15 points, Glen Davis had 11 points and 14 rebounds, and Orlando opened the third quarter with a 21-0 run.
Kings 113
Lakers 97
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Marcus Thornton scored 23 points, Tyreke Evans had 18 and Sacramento snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the lethargic Los Angeles Lakers.
Warriors 102
Nets 93
OAKLAND, Calif. — Klay Thompson made two 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 23 points during a pivotal run late in the third quarter and Golden State held on to beat Brooklyn.
