PORTLAND, Ore. -- The first quarter was CJ McCollum's. The fourth quarter was Damian Lillard's.

When the smoke cleared, the backcourt mates had carried the Portland Trail Blazers to a 124-121 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night at Moda Center.

Lillard scored 22 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter while McCollum had 18 of his 33 points in the first quarter for the Trail Blazers (5-3), who won their third straight game. Portland also got 20 points from Moe Harkless, who made 8 of 11 shots and also added six rebounds.

Eric Bledsoe scored 17 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and Devin Booker added 23 for the Suns (2-6).

Lillard was 5 of 9 from the field, 2 of 4 from 3-point range and 10 of 10 from the free-throw line over the final 12 minutes.

"Dame was clutch," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "He made his free throws. We were struggling without him. Seemed like he made every big play he had to."

Phoenix erased an 18-point first-quarter deficit and tied the game at 93-93 with 7:54 remaining. Lillard scored 20 of his 22 fourth-quarter points after that.

"Once it got to that point, players got to play," Lillard said. "You have to just get it done. That's what I did."

McCollum was on fire at the start, and his teammates were right there with him as Portland burst to a 33-15 lead on 14-for-15 shooting in the game's first seven minutes. McCollum made all seven shots, including three from 3-point range, and had scored 18 points at that point. The Blazers wound up with a 42-25 advantage after one quarter, shooting .720 (18 of 25).

"You see a guy going like that, it's my job to feed him," Lillard said. "He had a big first quarter. We rode that out and, as he cooled off, that's when I started to get more aggressive and find my way."

Bledsoe was smoking in the fourth quarter, sinking 5 of 7 from the field and 6 of 7 from the line as the Suns nearly pulled it out.

"We never give up," Booker said. "It's a good team over there. Every time we play (the Blazers), it's going to be a war. They got the edge tonight, but next time we're going to be ready."

McCollum had 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting to go with five rebounds and five assists as Portland took a 63-55 advantage into intermission. Lillard added 12 points for the Blazers, who shot 60.5 percent in the half.

The Suns went on an 11-4 tear that tied the game at 93-93 with 7:54 to go. But Lillard buried a long 3-pointer, made a pair of foul shots, then bombed in another long 3 to make it 101-95 with 6:44 remaining. Phoenix hung in, and a driving score by Bledsoe cut Portland's lead to 111-107 with 2:14 left.

Lillard banked a couple of free throws to make it 113-107, but P.J. Tucker followed suit to cut the difference to 113-109 with two minutes to go. Bledsoe's 3-point shot trimmed the margin to 113-112 with 1:26 to play.

Harkless' follow shot gave Portland a 115-112 lead with 1:04 left. Bledsoe was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made 2 of 3 foul shots with 57.7 seconds remaining to make it 115-114. Lillard converted a drive for a 117-114 advantage with 42 seconds on the clock. Bledsoe was back at the line for two and made them both to cut the edge to 117-116 with 32.7 seconds to go.

Lillard's two free throws increased Portland's advantage to 119-116 with 13.3 seconds left. Bledsoe followed with two at the line, and it was 119-118 with 11.4 seconds remaining.

McCollum sank 1 of 2 free throws for a 120-118 Portland lead, and Lillard rebounded the miss. He knocked down two at the line with 8.6 seconds left, but Booker bombed in a long 3, and the Blazers' lead was 122-121 with 4.6 ticks left.

Lillard made two more free throws for a 124-121 lead with 3.7 seconds left. Booker's desperation 3 at the buzzer was short.

NOTES: The 22 points in a quarter by Portland G Damian Lillard were not a personal high. He scored a franchise-record 26 points in the fourth quarter against Sacramento during his second NBA season (2013-14). ... Portland F Al-Farouq Aminu (calf) left in the first quarter and did not return. ... Phoenix F Marquese Chriss, a 6-foot-10 rookie who turned 19 in July, made his first career, totaling seven points and four rebounds in 20 minutes. The Suns' starting shooting guard, Devin Booker, turned 20 on Oct. 30. "We understand age is a challenge for us, but we don't accept that," coach Earl Watson said. "We may have one of the youngest teams to take the floor in the NBA today, and we're fine with that." ... Watson finished his 13-year playing career with a single season with Portland in 2013-14. He forged a special relationship with Lillard, then a second-year player. "The shot Dame hit to beat the Rockets (in the playoffs) was once-in-a-lifetime," Watson said. "He does it a lot. I guess he has nine lives."