Clingan scores 23 points to lead Trail Blazers past short-handed Suns… — and more

PHOENIX (AP) — Donovan Clingan had 23 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the Portland Trail Blazers past the short-handed Phoenix Suns, 92-77 on Sunday night.

Jerami Grant also scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting. The Trail Blazers bounced back from an ugly 157-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday and have won five of their past seven.

Portland built a 20-point lead by late in the third quarter and settled for a 71-57 advantage heading into the fourth. Collin Gillespie hit two 3-pointers to cut it to 80-69 with 7:36 left but Grant responded with a 3 to turn back the rally.

Gillespie led Phoenix with 18 points, and Jalen Green had 13. Coming off a 113-110 double-overtime win over Orlando at home Saturday, the Suns shot just 36.9% from the field and the 77 points were a season low.

It was a sloppy game for both teams — the Blazers had 21 turnovers and the Suns had 19.

Portland took a 47-40 lead into halftime after Phoenix shot just 2 of 19 (10.5%) from 3-point range. Grant led the Blazers with 12 points before the break.

Portland lost leading scorer Deni Avdija after just one minute after the All-Star aggravated a lower back injury. Avdija — who has been battling low back issues for several weeks — was listed as questionable coming into the game.

The Suns were missing a big chunk of their regular rotation, including All-Star guard Devin Booker (hip strain), forward Dillon Brooks (fractured hand), guard Grayson Allen (knee/ankle) and guard Jordan Goodwin (calf).

The four players are averaging more than 70 points per game combined.

Up next

Trail Blazers: Host Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Suns: Host Boston on Tuesday night.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Atletico Madrid have already started thinking about the business they will do during the summer transfer window, which promises to be another busy one at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. There are a number of positions in Diego Simeone’s squad that need to be addressed, with one of them being left-back.

Matteo Ruggeri has had an up-and-down season since joining from Atalanta last summer, and his inconsistent form has often led Simeone to play David Hancko as a full-back. Coupled with Javi Galan moving to Osasuna in January, it means that Atleti sporting director Mateu Alemany will almost certainly be looking to add another left-back.

In recent weeks, Atleti have been linked with Carlos Romero, who has shone for Espanyol this season. The 24-year-old, who is projected to return to parent club Villarreal in the summer, has now spoken on the possibility of a move to the Spanish capital during an interview with Diario AS.

“I feel very flattered that they relate me to big clubs. Atletico are a giant of Spain. I’m not going to find out now, but I’m going on my way: I have a contract with Villarreal, now I’m at Espanyol and in the summer we’ll see what happens.

“You never know the future, but I don’t know what will happen, that’s why I’m focused on continuing this year, on finishing well with Espanyol, on leaving it where it deserves, hopefully as high as possible, and in the summer to see what we decide and see what happens.”

Image via La Grada

Barcelona also linked with Romero move

Should Atleti move for Romero in the summer, they could face stiff competition. Barcelona are also keeping tabs on the defender, as they seek to reinforce their left-back position, which is an area that they have also struggled in this season.

South Carolina's SCHSL has unveiled the complete boys basketball playoff brackets, including results and schedules for the upcoming tournament. All information is now available on Yahoo Sports Canada for fans and teams to track their favorite schools' progress.

The tournament features top high school teams from across South Carolina competing for the state championship. Fans can access updated brackets, game results, and scheduling details throughout the playoff season.