The Portland Trail Blazers lost their Las Vegas Summer League opener 81-79 to the Phoenix Suns on Friday, per NBA.com, after leading by as many as 16 points and taking a 38-24 advantage into halftime.
The first half was as clean as defense gets in July. Portland held Phoenix to 24 points and an 0-for-9 mark from three before the break. Then the game inverted: the Suns scored 57 second-half points, outscored Portland 31-18 in the third quarter behind a 17-4 run, and got a team-high 21 points from Javonte Cooke, who hit 5 of 8 from deep. Khaman Maluach added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 30 pick Koa Peat had 17 in his debut.
DJ Steward led Portland with 21 points and eight rebounds, and second-year center Yang Hansen finished with 12 points and nine rebounds — a steady, unspectacular line from the player Portland most needs this month to look like a rotation piece. Frankie Fidler chipped in 13.
The result matters less than the shape of it. A rebuilding roster built a 16-point cushion on defense and then couldn’t hold it for 20 minutes, which is roughly what Summer League is for: finding out which of these players sustain effort when the other bench gets hot. Yang Hansen playing near a double-double against Maluach, one of the better young centers in Vegas, is the note Portland’s staff will keep from an otherwise frustrating night.
For fantasy, Yang Hansen is the only name here with realistic season-long relevance. He sits behind an established frontcourt in Portland, but a strong Vegas showing keeps him on the deep-league and dynasty radar as a stash whose rebounding and touch could earn backup center minutes. Steward’s 21 points are a camp-battle audition rather than a fantasy signal — he is fighting for a roster spot, not a rotation role.
