Suns vs Blazers: 5 Big Questions (With Answers) Before Tonight

The Phoenix Suns are hosting the Portland Trail Blazers, hoping to get revenge on their opening-night loss at the Moda Center.

Ahead of the game, we spoke with Portland Trail Blazers On SI contributor Sahal Arwo to learn more about what the Blazers are up to.

How have the Blazers changed since opening night?

Arwo: After a huge opening-night win, the Blazers have learned to win in different ways.Whether it's a comfortable victory built on clean offense or a gritty, scrappy comeback win on the road, Portland has continued to overcome adversity on their way to a 5-1 record.This is a crucial foundation for the Blazers to find their identity and keep capitalizing in an injury-riddled Western Conference.

Portland is 5-1, what’s been the biggest reason for success?

Arwo: The Trail Blazers have developed a very unselfish and team-first mentality. After facing many questions in training camp—particularly balancing the offensive trio of Deni Avdija, Damian Lillard and the recently injured Ja Morant—Portland has responded with elite selfless play.

All-around scoring and strong collective responsibility on defense have been huge. Portland has a top-5 offensive rating—with five players averaging 10+ points a night — and a top-10 defensive rating. It’s easy to buy in when you’re winning, so while it has contributed to Portland’s early success, time will tell whether it continues when things get difficult.

Who is one player you believe has overachieved thus far?

Arwo: I would have to say Toumani Camara. The forward, typically known for his stout defensive game, has been shooting the lights out through the first six games. On 46 attempts from three-point range, Camara has connected on exactly 50 percent of them. That's a big jump from the 37 percent he shot last season.

As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t anticipate Camara being a top-15 three-point shooter in the NBA throughout the entire season, so in that case, I do believe he has overachieved so far this season.

Is this just a trend, or do you think their early-season success is sustainable?

Arwo: The rate the team is moving at would suggest that it's surely a hot streak that will pass. However, when looking at the Blazers' performances and those of teams around the league, I don’t see why this can't be sustainable. Portland’s only loss came to the now 6-1 Memphis Grizzlies, and the Blazers have yet to really operate at their best in their five wins this season.

With teams like Oklahoma City and Minnesota losing players through injury and the early struggles many teams have shown this season, I can see Portland maintaining its momentum, even if it's maybe not at the rate of winning five out of every six games.

What do the Suns need to do to beat the Blazers tonight?

Arwo: Phoenix needs to find a way to stop Deni Avdija, a player the Suns would know well after their play-in matchup last postseason.Avdija has not missed a beat this season, averaging 23.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists.

He’s also been doing a lot of his work from the free-throw line, taking 9.8 attempts per game, fourth in the NBA. If the Suns can find a way to stop Avdija from getting downhill and reaching the charity stripe, they have a strong chance to stay in the game with the offensive talent they possess.

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