What we learned: Phoenix Suns keep win streak going vs. Portland minus injured Kevin Durant

The Phoenix Suns didn’t have their Big 3 again, but still managed to win a fourth straight game, 109-88, over the Portland Trail Blazers on New Year's Day Monday as Kevin Durant sat out with right hamstring soreness.

Suns coach Frank Vogel said Durant tweaked his hamstring in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s victory over Orlando and is day-to-day.

Phoenix (18-15) missed Durant’s 30 points a night and the gravity he provides in getting double-teamed, but the Suns had seven players reach double figures, with Bradley Beal scoring a game-high 21 points in the second of a back-to-back.

The Suns also won the third game of their current homestand despite Devin Booker shooting 4-of-16 from the field in scoring 10 points, two short of tying his season low.

Phoenix has only had its Big 3 of Booker, Durant and Beal for four games, going 2-2, but won Monday without Durant as Chimezie Metu got the start in his place.

Jusuf Nurkic generated 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Metu posted 14 points and five rebounds while Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon each scored 12.

Rookie Scoot Henderson paced the Blazers (9-23) with 17 points as they were minus Anfernee Simons (illness), former Suns big Deandre Ayton (knee) and Suns second-round pick, rookie Toumani Camara (knee).

Here’s what we learned as the Suns scored 30 points on 19 Portland turnovers.

Beal showing value

Blazers coach Chauncey Billups talked before the game about the Phoenix being constructed to withstand the loss of one of its Big 3.

Now, the Blazers are a young team that was without their best player in Simons. So Phoenix was playing not only a bad team, but a short-handed bad team.

However, Beal’s ability to not only score, but create space for others helped the Suns withstand Booker going 4-of-16 and not having Durant. The Suns had seven players reach double figures.

When on his game, Beal can score on anyone in the league, but it just feels as if he’s going to have to get his in the early offense or transition because Booker and Durant are initiating offense.

He’s going to finish more than initiate.

Slow start, stronger continuation

The Suns were down 29-20 after the first quarter for two reasons.

One, early adjustment to missing Durant. Phoenix shot 30.4% from the field in the quarter as Booker and Beal combined to go 3-of-12 from the field.

Two, the Suns are still a work in progress defending the dribble. Portland scored 12 points in the paint in the first.

Phoenix responded by limiting the Blazers to a combined 32 points in the second and third quarters, and scored 66 points total in those quarters.

The Suns got productive play out its bench in taking an 86-61 lead into the fourth as Josh Okogie provided a defensive tone. They finished the game with 34 bench points.

The Blazers managed just 24 points in the paint the rest of the game.

That’s improvement, but Simons is a much tougher test to contain than Henderson.

More Bol Bol?

The crowd can’t get enough of Bol Bol.

The fans got more of him than they have all season on Monday night.

He came into the New Year’s Day matchup against Portland having scored just six points and grabbed four rebounds in 19 minutes in eight games.

With Durant out, Bol surpassed his season numbers – 11 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes – in one game.

He shot 4-of-6 from the field, made a spectacular play in transition for a two-handed dunk and hit 3.

Bol also committed five fouls, but Vogel was pleased with his overall performance after calling for him to play with more discipline.

Discipline.

This is why Bol Bol hasn’t played more huh?

With him delivering a near double-double, the bigger question is will Vogel play Bol Bol a string of games to prove he can perform to his likening?

More: Phoenix Suns 7-footer Bol Bol gets opportunity vs. Blazers, delivers highlight dunk

Tougher tests on the horizon

Hard to evaluate Phoenix considering the Blazers were down three starters in Ayton, Simons and Camara, but they did hold their second team under 100 points.

The Suns have just four wins over teams that currently have a winning record, but one came Friday against Orlando (19-13). The other three are over Minnesota (24-7), which has the best record in the Western Conference, New York (17-15) and Houston (16-15) to begin this four-game win streak.

The Suns have tougher tests in the second half of this homestand. Their next three games are against the Clippers, Heat and Grizzlies – with Morant back from his 25-game suspension.

He was out the first two times the Suns and Grizzlies met this season.

Up next: Wednesday vs. Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers are 20-12 after Monday's 121-104 home win over Miami.

Vogel has been preaching ball containment and gap defense. The Clippers are going to test that twofold even if Durant returns.

With an 8-2 record in their last 10 games, the Clippers topped the Grizzlies, 117-106, Friday as Paul George led seven players in double figures with 23 points.

Kawhi Leonard returned against the Heat after missing four games with a left hip contusion and scored a game-high 24 points. Los Angeles went 2-2 in those games without Leonard.

The Clippers acquired James Harden in a trade during the season to give them another scorer to go along with Russell Westbrook, George and Leonard who can find teammates.

This will be the first meeting between the Suns and Clippers. Phoenix plays them again on Jan. 8 in Los Angeles to begin a three-game road trip that continues against the Lakers and ends at Portland.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What we learned: Suns blitz Trail Blazers minus injured Kevin Durant