Off Day, On Pace: The 2-0 Blazers Circle Tuesday in L.A.
NO GAME TODAY. The Blazers are 2-0, rested, and two days from their first national-TV test: Tuesday at the Lakers, 8 p.m. PT at Crypto.com Arena, on NBC and Peacock. It's a national exclusive, so it won't be on BlazerVision or KUNP. Here's what moved while the team was off.
Standings check
Houston is the West's only 3-0 team after winning 121-114 at Atlanta on Saturday. Five teams are 2-0 and a half-game back: Minnesota, Portland, the Lakers, Oklahoma City and Memphis (ESPN standings). Golden State fell to 0-3 with a 131-122 loss at Phoenix. New Orleans also dropped to 0-3, losing 141-135 in Denver, and Sacramento is 0-2.
Sunday is a good day to scoreboard-watch. The Lakers play at Utah at 2 p.m. PT. The Clippers visit Oklahoma City and Toronto visits Minnesota, both at 4 p.m. PT, and Memphis, Thursday's visitor to Moda Center, plays at Sacramento at 6 p.m. PT. Four of the five 2-0 teams play today, so Portland could be looking up at as many as five 3-0 teams by Monday morning. Standing still on an off day is still standing still.
Two games of numbers
It's a small sample, but here's where Portland stands per ESPN: 126.0 points scored and 101.5 allowed per game. Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija are averaging 22.0 points apiece, and Ja Morant leads the team at 7.5 assists in 24.5 minutes a night. The Lakers also score 126.0 a game but allow 111.0.
The option clock
Confirmed Portland has until Oct. 31 to decide on 2027-28 rookie-scale team options for Donovan Clingan ($9,550,298) and Yang Hansen ($4,864,920), per Spotrac and Over the Apron. As of Sunday morning neither has been announced. Clingan's option should be easy for a starting center on a sub-$10 million number. Yang's is the one to watch. He was a DNP in Sacramento. Meanwhile Scoot Henderson, who got no extension, is headed for restricted free agency next summer.
Wire catch-up
Confirmed Jeremy Sochan, waived by Portland before the opener, went No. 1 overall in Saturday's G League Draft to the Texas Legends, Dallas' affiliate (Marc Stein; Michael Scotto). Scotto reports Sochan plans to join the Legends. Because Sochan has four years of service, he can't sign a two-way contract, per Hoops Rumors. Portland's own affiliate, the Rip City Remix, took Quinn Slazinski at No. 42. G League camps open Monday.
Booth watch
Rumor Dwight Jaynes wrote on his Substack, citing NBA media sources, that TV play-by-play voice Travis Demers is not on a game-to-game trial, as widely reported. According to Jaynes, Demers has a full-season contract "at a respectable figure" and is now paid by the team instead of the radio station (via Blazer's Edge). That conflicts with The Oregonian's earlier reporting from Joe Freeman that Demers took the job on a trial basis. Until the team says something, it's two versions. Either way, Demers, Lamar Hurd and Brooke Olzendam are calling the games, and the TV call is still being simulcast on radio, per Blazer's Edge.
Injuries
Confirmed Portland: Shaedon Sharpe (right knee surgery) is out, and ESPN's tracker estimates early March for his return. ESPN now lists Chris Youngblood (left ankle soreness) and Branden Carlson (concussion) as day-to-day. Both missed Friday. Lakers: Adou Thiero (left knee inflammation) and Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) are listed out (ESPN). The official report for Tuesday isn't out yet.
Lakers look-ahead
Tuesday is 2-0 against 2-0. L.A. opened by beating Golden State 127-105 and then the Clippers 125-117, a game in which Austin Reaves had 28 points and nine assists and Walker Kessler put up 22 points and six blocks (AP). Luka Doncic is averaging 25.5 points on 38.5% shooting (ESPN), so he's producing without his shot fully falling. The Lakers are at Utah today, so they'll have one day off before Tuesday. Portland will have had three.
The line: Sportsbooks haven't posted a spread or total yet. ESPN Analytics' matchup predictor makes it 53-47 Lakers. History: Portland won two of three against L.A. last season, including 122-108 at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 27, 2025 (ESPN).
Three keys. 1) Keep Clingan on the floor. He picked up two fouls in the first 1:45 at Sacramento, and Kessler's rim protection makes Portland's size matter more. 2) Find the stroke. Portland went 14-of-48 from three on Friday and still won. That won't hold up against a team allowing 111 a game with a hot backcourt. 3) Use the depth. The bench outscored Sacramento's 44-22. Portland's legs will be fresher, and Holiday, Williams and Cissoko are the kind of second unit that makes that count.
Rumor Mill
Nothing new on Portland from Shams Charania, Marc Stein or Jake Fischer since Saturday's update. Rumor The standing chatter still stands: Heavy's Sean Deveney calls Jrue Holiday Portland's best realistic trade chip if the backcourt gets crowded. That's analysis, not a report of talks, and Friday's late-game rotation suggests the coaches are making the crowded backcourt work.
Next up
Tue, Oct. 27 · at Lakers · 8 p.m. PT · NBC/Peacock. Thu, Oct. 29 · vs. Memphis · 7 p.m. PT · BlazerVision/KUNP. Sat, Oct. 31 · at Utah · noon PT · BlazerVision/KUNP. The full preview and uniform matchup go up on game day.
Sources: ESPN standings, scoreboards, team stats, injury tracker and Matchup Predictor; AP; Spotrac; Over the Apron; Hoops Rumors; Marc Stein; Michael Scotto, HoopsHype; Dwight Jaynes via Blazer's Edge; Joe Freeman, The Oregonian; Sean Deveney, Heavy.