The Portland Trail Blazers opened the season with a rout, beating the Phoenix Suns 124-83 on Wednesday at Moda Center behind 25 points from Damian Lillard. The 41-point margin stood as Portland’s largest lead of the night, and the Suns never led at any point in the game.
Portland built the result with a 43-12 first quarter that buried Phoenix from the opening tip. Ja Morant added 14 points and eight assists for the Trail Blazers, while Deni Avdija posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points, but Phoenix shot just 19% from three-point range.
Key Moments: How Portland Took Control Early
Portland never trailed. Donovan Clingan opened the scoring with a 24-foot three off a Deni Avdija assist, and the Trail Blazers ran off 21 straight points before Phoenix got on the board with a pair of Devin Booker free throws at the 5:54 mark of the first quarter. By the end of the opening period, Portland led 43-12, shooting its way to a decisive edge that the Suns could not overcome.
The Trail Blazers kept pulling away in the second quarter, pushing the margin past 30 points on a Robert Williams III alley-oop dunk off a Ja Morant feed. Portland shot 48% from the field for the game and hit 19 of 47 three-point attempts, a 40% clip that overwhelmed a Suns defense that allowed 50 points in the paint.
Top Performers
Lillard finished 7 of 12 from the field, including 6 of 10 from three-point range, to go with six assists in 24 minutes. Morant shot 6 of 8 from the floor for his 14 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. Toumani Camara scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting with four three-pointers, and Donovan Clingan contributed 11 points and seven rebounds off Portland’s frontcourt rotation.
For Phoenix, Booker’s 23 points came on 7-of-13 shooting with nine made free throws. Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks each scored 10 points, but the Suns shot a combined 30 of 84 from the field, good for 36%, and committed 15 turnovers that Portland converted into 24 points.
What It Means
The win pushed Portland to 1-0 and into a share of the top of the Northwest Division standings alongside Minnesota and Oklahoma City, all of which opened 1-0. The Trail Blazers also took a 1-0 edge in the season series against Phoenix. The Suns dropped to 0-1 and sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division standings with Golden State, both at 0-1 after one game.
Portland’s offense, which produced 32 assists on 45 made baskets, showed the kind of ball movement new additions Lillard and Morant are expected to generate in the backcourt. Phoenix’s defense allowed 56 rebounds, including 16 offensive boards, numbers that will need correcting as the season progresses for a team still sorting through its rotation, including rookie Khaman Maluach, who finished with six rebounds in 17 minutes.
What’s Next
Portland will look to build on its 1-0 start. Phoenix will look to bounce back after the lopsided loss and clean up its 36% shooting and 15 turnovers.
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