The Portland Trail Blazers 109-104 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night was a tale of two halves.

In the first half, the Blazers were lifeless, struggling with turnovers and missing shots at every opportunity. In the second half, Portland tightened up defensively, took care of the ball, and worked the offense inside-out through center Deandre Ayton.

Ayton, who struggled his way to 2-9 shooting in the first half, came alive in his matchup against Suns center Jusuf Nurkic – the player he was traded for in his unceremonious exit from Phoenix. In the second half, Ayton put up 10 points and seven rebounds – finishing with 16 and 15 for the game – and outplayed Nurkic down the stretch for the win.

Nurkic had 9 points on 4-11 shooting for Phoenix.

After the way his tenure with the Suns ended, it's natural to think that Ayton had a little extra motivation on Tuesday night, but after the game Ayton said it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

Said Ayton when asked if he had a little extra juice for the Suns on Tuesday, “Not really, it was just another team. I think all that emotion and hype is out the window. I've just been focused on being a Trail Blazer and establishing us and who we are.”

That may be true, but Ayton look as energized as he has all season. Possibly because the Blazers coaching staff made a concerted effort to get him shots early in order to get him going. Possibly because he ate his Wheaties. Or possibly because he in fact did have a little something extra for the team that gave up on him this offseason.

After the game, Blazers guard Anfernee Simons had his own thoughts, “He was great, obviously extra motivation playing his former team.”

When told that Ayton said it was just another team, Simons responded, “Oh he denied it? It's going to be natural, whether he knows it or not.”

While Ayton has had his ups and downs with the Blazers, he is a clear upgrade over former Portland center Nurkic – especially with the style of play that coach Chauncey Billups wants out of his group. Both players struggle with consistency, but Ayton has shown that he can be a force when motivated and involved in the action.

After having difficulty getting shots earlier in the season, it bodes well for Ayton that the team is trying to integrate him more in the offense. As teams try to trap and double Simons, Ayton is able to pop out at the top of the key as a release point and has the soft touch to knock down jumpers from the foul line with ease.

While Ayton and the Blazers got the best of the Suns on Tuesday, the team needs him to maintain that level of intensity going forward. If he can, the team has a real weapon on both sides of the ball.