A great outing by Smith was enough to offset a superior Phoenix team and key a 108-90 upset by Portland. There's no question that Phoenix is the better team, and even after today's loss they remain ranked ahead of Portland. But that wasn't important today, when Smith took over and carried his team to a win. "What a gift," grinned Portland coach Bob. "The rest of the team got outplayed, but Smith stepped up and got us the win. No complaints, but we'd be surprised to get another win over Phoenix."

Said losing coach Bob, "What a tough way to lose. It seemed like we had everything under control today. We pretty much did what we wanted, except for Smith."

Portland was led by Smith (30 points, 6 boards, 14 assists), Jackson (27 points, 5 boards, 0 assists, 4 blocks), Kimbell (13 points, a steal, 2 blocks). Phoenix was led by Dupree (21 points, 18 boards, 1 assists, a block), Celaya (25 points, 6 boards, 0 assists, a block), Norman (8 points, 2 blocks).

Portland stand at 11-8 and 5-4 at home. They stay at #3 in the Northwest and stay at #7 overall in the Western Conference. Phoenix fall to 12-7. They stay at #3 in the Pacific and drop to #6 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Portland roster Phoenix roster