The Portland Trail Blazers entered Sunday looking to erase their previous defensive debacle. They saw the Denver Nuggets score an astonishing 157 points. That means Portland had less than 48 hours to quickly get their defense right against the Phoenix Suns.
The Blazers accomplished a rare feat in NBA history by losing 92-77 on Sunday.
According to OptaSTATS, this is the most defensive feat that Portland has achieved.
"They are the first team in NBA history to improve by 80 or more points on defense from one game to the next," said the account, posted on the social media website X, formerly known as Twitter.
Impressive defensive moments from the Blazers
Camara's block stood out as one of a surprising 11 swats for Portland. But he was also not considered the most impressive defensive performer.
Donavan Clingan captured that title – blocking four of the Suns' attempts to advance. Wit Crazy and Robert Williams III both teamed up for a pair of blocks. Scooter Henderson and Jerami Grant also added a block each for the Blazers.
Clingan finished with 23 points and collected 13 rebounds for a double-double. Camara also had his double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds).
Grant led the Clingans with 23 points, while Henderson reached double figures with 11 points. Portland forced Phoenix to shoot a disappointing 36.5% from field goal range, including 25.7% in the three-point game. While the Blazers committed 21 turnovers, the Suns turned the basketball over 19 times.
