Nicolas Batum leads the Trail Blazers in big win over Phoenix Suns

The Trail Blazers team that looked like one of the best in the West early in the season showed up on Thursday night at the Moda Center.

The defense was stout and the bench provided some firepower as the Blazers rolled the Suns in the final quarter to cruise to a 108-87 home win.

The Blazers showed flashes of the team that started the season 30-8, getting a timely and impressive victory.

"It's a time where we need to prove that we are one of the elite teams," Blazers wing Wesley Matthews said. "And we have a chance to do that going and into the All-Star break."

What Portland proved on Thursday night is that it isn't ready to fade heading into the second half of the season.

With Robin Lopez back in the lineup and Nicolas Batum putting together one of his best performances of the season, the Blazers scored 42 points in the fourth quarter and turned a close game into a laugher in ten quick minutes.

Portland built a 19 point lead in the first half only to watch it completely slip away as the Suns took a one point lead in the final minute of the third quarter. But the Blazers responded, outscoring Phoenix 42-22 in the final period and rolling to a decisive victory.

"I thought we were really locked in on what we needed to do," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "We talked about penetration, transition, pick and roll defense and one-on-one defense going into the game and I thought we did a very good job with that. We were active with our hands. Some of their turnovers didn't necessarily have anything to do with us, but again, I liked our focus."

Stotts tightened up his rotation against Phoenix, using eight players with Meyers Leonard, Steve Blake and CJ McCollum the only three reserves to play before emptying the bench for 1:55 of garbage time.

McCollum scored 10 of 12 points in the first half and tied a career-high with four rebounds, Leonard added 8 points and 8 rebounds and for the first time in 2015 the Blazers reserves looked to be strength for Portland.

"The group that was in the game at the beginning of the fourth gave us a nice jump and got the lead out and then we were able to expand on it," Stotts said.

The Blazers started the fourth quarter with Blake, McCollum, Matthews, Leonard and Lopez on the court, and that group helped extend a one point lead to 77-71 in the opening four minutes of the fourth.

In the final eight minutes, Batum led the charge as Portland put the game away. First, Batum fed Lopez inside for an easy bucket at the rim. Then he got out on the break and drew a shooting foul, knocking down two free throws after attacking the rim in transition. Following a Suns basket, Batum buried a three from the corner to push the lead back to double-digits for good.

It was a welcomed breakout for Batum, who is working through the worst shooting season of his career. He finished with 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds, making it easy to overlook point guard Damian Lillard's shooting struggles.

"We knew we need this game," Batum said. "We did a good job right from the start."

Lillard had 13 points on 6-for-15 shooting and missed all five of his three point attempts, but the rest of the Blazers more than made up for his off night. Lopez had 11 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, Matthews had 14 points and eight boards and LaMarcus Aldridge added a historic double-double.

Aldridge scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, recording his 220th double-double of his career to move past Sidney Wicks for most double-doubles in franchise history.

"I think if I would have told people I'd be number one in double-doubles, they would have laughed," Aldridge said. "First few years of my career I was a 17 (points) and eight (rebounds) guy, so I think it just shows the growth that I've tried to have year to year."

The Blazers improved to 34-16 with the win, jumping the Los Angeles Clippers to move back into the fourth spot in the Western Conference just a half game behind third place Houston, whom the Blazers face on Sunday.

Portland earned consecutive wins for the first time since Jan. 10 and 11 and beat a top eight team in the West for the first time since Dec. 19, but the win over Phoenix was as much about process than results. The Blazers showcased the scoring depth and defensive prowess needed to rekindle what fueled their impressive start to the season.

With three games left against Dallas, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers before the All-Star break Portland has an opportunity vault itself into top three seed in the West. Beating the Suns proved Portland can still tap into what made teams "fear" the Blazers early in the season.

"We just focused on things that we were really set on to start the season," Matthews explained. "Transition defense, getting back, being active, keeping on top of them, building out, contest shooters, make them shoot contested twos and we were able to do that tonight."

The win over Phoenix doesn't guarantee anything, but it's an important step for Portland to take with the stretch run of the season looming.

"We still got a ways to go," Matthews said of Portland regaining its status as an elite team in the West. "But I think we still got an opportunity to do that."