PORTLAND, Ore, Jan. 31 (Ticker) -- Rasheed Wallace scored 12 of his 20 points in the first quarter and Damon Stoudamire added 10 of his 19 in the opening period as the Portland Trail Blazers rode a hot start to a 105-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

The Blazers shot well in the first 12 minutes and used their defense to stifle the Suns' attack. They made 15-of-22 shots in the opening period, including 3-of-7 3-pointers, and held Phoenix scoreless for nearly three minutes in the quarter.

The teams were tied 2:51 into the game before Portland reeled off 13 consecutive points. Wallace scored seven straight points during the burst, which gave the Blazers a 22-9 cushion.

"We started out our game with as aggressive play as I've seen for a long time," Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "It started with defense and then we pushed the ball and set the tone."

NBA.comTV highlights from Suns-Blazers: 56k | 300k The troika of Dale Davis, Scottie Pippen, and Bonzi Wells all turned in terrific games to keep Portland rolling. Sam Forencich NBAE/Getty Images

The Suns closed within 32-24 with 64 seconds left, but Bonzi Wells hit two free throws and Scottie Pippen closed the quarter with a baseline jumper and a 3-pointer to give the Blazers a 39-24 cushion.

"We know we can play, we're now getting our chemistry together," Wells said. "We jumped out by 14 or 15 points and that's what we wanted to do. We sustained it and got the win."

Phoenix never got within single digits until Penny Hardaway nailed a jumper to narrow Portland's lead to 85-77 with 8:38 left in the fourth quarter.

"We just fell behind by so far, as so often happens in the NBA," Suns coach Scott Skiles said. "By the time you scrap back into the game, you just don't have that much left if the other team is talented."

But Wells made three jump shots and four free throws in the final six minutes as the Blazers cruised to their season-high fifth straight victory.

"We're believing in ourselves and its starting to pay off," Cheeks said. "We needed to withstand the run I knew they were going to make. We had to learn how to maintain the lead and withstand those runs. I knew we had it in us."

Wells finished with 20 points and Pippen fell just shy of a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for Portland, which shot 40 percent (33-of-81) but made 33-of-36 free throws.

"I'm starting to get some rhythm to my game," Pippen said. we're starting to play better and things are starting to fall into place. Hopefully we can continue to play this well."

Dale Davis recorded 12 points and 14 rebounds as the Blazers held a commanding, 49-39 rebounding edge.

Shawn Marion had 23 points and nine rebounds and Stephon Marbury collected 22 points and 12 assists as Phoenix lost for the 10th time in 14 games.

Hardaway finished with 17 points and Alton Ford added a season-high 11 points off the bench for the Suns, who shot 43 percent (37-of-86) and missed on 12 of 15 3-pointers.