Nov. 21, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) holds onto the ball as Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic (1) and forward Markieff Morris (11) try to steal the ball in the second half at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Trail Blazers 114-87. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns(18-36) escaped the Portland Trail Blazers(25-29) last night by the final score of 102–98. The Suns were led by the Dragon, Goran Dragic,who scored 16 points and dished out a career-high 18 assists in the Suns win. Phoenix raced out to a 12-0 lead to begin the game and led 36-23 after one, behind 10 first quarter assists from Dragic.

‎”First off, I would like to thank all of my teammates. Without them, I could not get 18 assists.” Said Dragic following the win against the Blazers.

The Suns began the fourth quarter with a 84–73 lead and led by as much as 16 points in the fourth quarter, however Portland would storm back on a 18-6 run led by LaMarcus Aldridge who scored nine points on that Blazers run; Aldrige scored 11 in the fourth but it just wasn’t sufficient enough to propel Portland to a comeback win.

Phoenix’s bench dominated Portland’s bench, outscoring Portland’s bench 40-7. Wesley Johnson got solid minutes for the first time in a long time and Johnson responded with a solid performance as he recorded 14 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench. Johnson evidently played the role off the bench that Shannon Brown typically plays. Brown was perfectly healthy and was ready to play but Suns head coach Lindsey Hunter gave his minutes to Johnson as Brown registered a DNP-Coach’s Decision.

The Suns once again struggled at taking care of the basketball, turning the ball over 18 times which led to 21 points for the Portland Trail Blazers; Phoenix turned the ball over three times in the final two minutes which was what ultimately opened the door for Portland.

With 20 seconds left in the game, the Suns were leading only 100-98 after a pair of made Aldridge free-throws. Phoenix watched a 16-point lead vaporize into thin air in the fourth quarter but somewhat fortunately for Phoenix, that was the last ounce of gas Portland have left in the tank and the Suns were able to escape with the narrow victory.

Phoenix did a tremendous job defensively against Portland holding them to just 41.3% shooting from the field, merely four fast-break points and just 34 points inside the paint. The one Blazer that did have a big night was J.J Hickson. Hickson scored 25 points and pulled in 16 rebounds while making 10 of his 14 shot attempts; Hickson scored just 4 points in the fourth quarter.

With this victory the Suns snap their four-game losing streak while the Blazers have now lost six games in a row and are now tied with the Lakers for the ninth spot in the western conference. This may be a good win for the Suns but at this stage of the season, the Suns are obviously playing for draft position and this win could potentially effect the Suns come the draft in June.

Nov. 21, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Marcin Gortat (4) handles the ball during the game against Portland Trail Blazers player Nicolas Batum in the first half at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Trail Blazers 114-87. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

All students back to the classrooms! The all-star break is over and now the NBA players must return to the courts. The Phoenix Suns are set to take on the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at the Rose Garden in what would be a quick two-game road trip for the Suns before they head back to Phoenix for their three-game home stand.

One thing these two team currently have in common is that both teams are on losing streaks. Phoenix has dropped four straight games, while the Blazers have dropped five straight games.

“It’s a rough way to go into the All-Star break, losing five games in a row with a big loss, so we just need to get back on track,” Said Nicholas Batum, swingman for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Heading into tonight’s game, the Blazers are favorites by a 6.0 margin according to ESPN.com. The Suns are currently free of injuries while the Blazers has Wesley Matthews listed as day-to-day. Matthews injured himself in the Blazers game against the Hornets just before the all-star break.

“I’m doing everything — I’ve done everything — to possibly put myself in position to play,” he said. “I feel optimistic about it.” Said Matthews, the Blazers guard.

Keys to the game: Suns

- Defend the three-point line! The Blazers has quite a few gunners on that team, in particular rookie sensation Damian Lillard and swingman Nicholas Batum.

- Keep J.J Hickson off the glass. Hickson is quietly having a great season with the Blazers this season averaging 12.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game; Hickson has had eight games this season in which he’s pulled down 15 or more rebounds.

- Turnovers! The Suns need every possession they can get, and they simply don’t have the offensive talent to make up for 15+ turnovers.

Keys to the game: Blazers

- Don’t beat yourselves! This year’s Suns are seldom going to beat the opposing team when the opposing team is on it’s A game; or even B game. The Blazers need to play within themselves, don’t turn the ball over, don’t take bad shots, and they’ll be just fine.

- Early buckets! The Blazers play in an arena with a notoriously loud crowd and the Blazers need to give the Rose Garden something to cheer about early in the game for momentum purposes.

The X-Factor!

- Different goals. The Blazers are a young team that wants a taste of playoff experience. With the exception of Aldridge and Batum, the rest of that team has had minimal playoff experience. The Blazers are currently three games out of the eighth and final playoff spot which is currently occupied by Houston. The Suns on the other hand is playing for draft position at this point, and the Suns may sacrifice a win by giving their young players more playing time.

Match-up of the night! 

- The most intriguing match-up of the night will be at the point guard spot, Goran Dragic vs. Damian Lillard. Lillard has an exciting future ahead of him while Dragic is struggling to live up to expectations, but nonetheless, both guys are talented and it should be a fun match-up to watch for tonight.