The Morning After: 21-0, Up 52, and a Council Vote
Last night: Blazers 124, Suns 83
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHX | 12 | 27 | 27 | 17 | 83 |
| POR | 43 | 29 | 35 | 17 | 124 |
PORTLAND. The morning paper doesn't usually need a second look at a 41-point game, but this one keeps paying out. Portland scored the first 21 points, and Phoenix missed its first 10 shots from the field. The Suns' first points were Devin Booker free throws with 5:54 left in the first quarter. It was 43-12 after one, 72-39 at the half, and the lead reached 52 in the fourth. Phoenix never led. Field Level Media says it's the third-largest season-opening margin in franchise history. Attendance was 19,367.
Damian Lillard scored 25 in 24 minutes, made 6 of 10 threes, and sat out the fourth. The Oregonian counts 1,310 days since his last regular-season game in a Blazers uniform. Ja Morant went 14 points, 8 assists, 5 boards and 3 steals on 6-of-8 shooting in his debut, and his +33 led the floor. Deni Avdija (18 and 10), Toumani Camara (18, 4-of-7 from deep) and Scoot Henderson (15 off the bench) did the rest. Portland finished with 32 assists, 19 threes, 50 points in the paint, and a 56-39 rebounding edge.
Box score
Trail Blazers · 124
| Player | MIN | FG-FGA | 3P-3PA | FT-FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toumani Camara * | 23 | 6-9 | 4-7 | 2-2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
| Deni Avdija * | 23 | 7-16 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| Donovan Clingan * | 21 | 4-9 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Damian Lillard * | 24 | 7-12 | 6-10 | 5-5 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| Ja Morant * | 23 | 6-8 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Robert Williams III | 15 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Micah Potter | 12 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Yang Hansen | 12 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Jrue Holiday | 21 | 2-6 | 0-3 | 4-4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Vit Krejci | 15 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Scoot Henderson | 19 | 7-14 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 15 |
| Jayson Kent | 7 | 0-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sidy Cissoko | 25 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| TEAM | 240 | 45-94 | 19-47 | 15-18 | 56 | 32 | 12 | 1 | 17 | 18 | 124 |
Suns · 83
| Player | MIN | FG-FGA | 3P-3PA | FT-FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon Brooks * | 27 | 4-11 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Miles Bridges * | 29 | 3-11 | 0-5 | 2-2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Khaman Maluach * | 17 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Devin Booker * | 29 | 7-13 | 0-0 | 9-9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 23 |
| Jalen Green * | 25 | 4-12 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Oso Ighodaro | 15 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Ryan Dunn | 14 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 3-4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Koa Peat | 7 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Rasheer Fleming | 12 | 0-5 | 0-3 | 1-2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Duop Reath | 9 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Jordan Goodwin | 22 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Collin Gillespie | 21 | 0-8 | 0-8 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Jamaree Bouyea | 7 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Pat Spencer | 7 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| TEAM | 240 | 30-84 | 6-31 | 17-23 | 39 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 17 | 83 |
* starter · Source: ESPN box score (event 401909841), checked Oct. 22
What they said
Morant, per The Oregonian: "the guy hasn't played in 18 months and he came out and delivered the way he did for us. It's special, man." Micah Nori, after his first win as a head coach in his 29th NBA season: "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that we were going to have the start we did." The players then soaked him with ice water in the locker room. "It was the best cold shower I've gotten," Nori said.
Lillard, per the AP and ESPN: "I did feel good, but you know I've felt good for months now ... there's probably some people that might have been skeptical because they hadn't seen me." The Oregonian spotted old teammates Evan Turner and Meyers Leonard in the stands.
The arena clock
Confirmed While the Blazers were going up by 40, City Hall was busy too. Portland City Council passed Ordinance 192244 by an 8-4 vote. It authorizes the intergovernmental agreement with the State of Oregon and Multnomah County that creates the Oregon Arena Joint Authority, the public body that would own and oversee the Moda Center renovation. Council also confirmed the city's appointees to the authority 12-0. That is plumbing, not a lease. OPB frames the stakes as roughly $600 million in public money and a December deadline. The Oregonian's reporting this week on a $1 billion-plus price tag for the lease's "first-class" clause, and Tom Dundon's reaction to it, remains anonymously sourced.
Rotation notes
Nori started Lillard, Morant, Avdija, Camara and Donovan Clingan, with Jrue Holiday (+32 in 21 minutes) and Henderson leading the second unit. Robert Williams III took the backup center minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds, three offensive, in 15 minutes. Sidy Cissoko led the team in minutes (25) as the blowout went long. Yang Hansen's 3 with 3:38 left made it 122-70. Shaedon Sharpe (knee) remains out, and ESPN's estimated return is early March. Branden Carlson (concussion) and Chris Youngblood (ankle) are listed out for Friday per ESPN's injury page. Avdija's ankle held up for 23 minutes.
The guard math
Rumor Four lead guards fit fine when you're up 50. The questions come in close games. Back in August, Jake Fischer reported that Portland had rejected trade interest in Holiday and pictured him, Lillard and Morant sharing the backcourt. Marc Stein said neither side wanted a buyout. Holiday is owed $34.8 million this season with a $37.2 million player option for 2027-28 (per Stein, via Sam Amico). Henderson is headed for restricted free agency after getting no extension. Portland also still has an open standard roster spot after waiving Jeremy Sochan on Oct. 17.
Small stuff
Confirmed Nike put a neon Morant dunking over the White Stag sign with a "LOOK WHO'S UP" banner. The Oregonian, KGW and KATU report it stays up through Nov. 7, when the sign gets its holiday look. On the other side, Oso Ighodaro (right hip) left in the second quarter and didn't return. He'd missed the final preseason game with hip soreness, per Arizona Sports, and Phoenix hosts Golden State on Saturday.
Up next: Friday at Sacramento
Fri 10.23 · 7 p.m. PT · Golden 1 Center · KUNP/Rip City TV Network + BlazerVision. It's the Kings' home opener, and the Kings' official release says the night includes a tribute to Rick Adelman, who coached Portland to two Finals before Sacramento's glory years. Sacramento comes in thin up front: Ben Simmons is out for the season (Achilles), and centers Dylan Cardwell (calf) and Maxime Raynaud (knee) are out until at least Nov. 2, per CBS Sports. Malik Monk (ankle) is a game-time decision. Portland beat the Kings 110-98 in the preseason on Oct. 13, and ESPN's matchup predictor gives the Blazers 72.1%. With two Kings bigs out, watch the glass: Clingan and Williams just combined for 17 rebounds in 36 minutes. Full game-day package Friday morning.
Sources: ESPN box score and injury report (event 401909841); NBA.com; Associated Press (Anne M. Peterson); The Oregonian (Bill Oram); Field Level Media; OPB; Portland.gov council records; Arizona Sports; Blazers On SI; Jake Fischer; Marc Stein via Sam Amico, Hoops Wire; KGW; KATU; CBS Sports; Sacramento Kings.