Blazers Test Themselves Against Timberwolves in Season Opener

SB Nation

If there’s one word to describe the Portland Trail Blazers’ opener to the 2025-26 season against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it’s “hard”. Portland played hard, fought hard, and charged hard down the floor

all night. The ending to the game was also hard. Nursing a narrow lead for most of four quarters, the Blazers watched Minnesota out-shoot them in the final period, leading to a 118-114 ‘Wolves victory. Portland got almost everything they wanted. They only missed the result on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, that’s the one thing that counts in the long run.

Here are all the things we noticed from opening night.

Portland’s New M.O.

The Blazers showed what is likely to become their standard mode of operating within the first two minutes of this game. They played at a breakneck pace, swarming the Timberwolves on the defensive end. They forced Minnesota into just 1 of 4 shooting in their initial possessions. BUT…Portland only got one shot and a couple free throws in that span, totaling a respectable (but unspectacular) 4 points. AND…the single shot that the ‘Wolves hit was a three. A ton of flurry and fury culminated in a spare one-point lead. A single turnover later and Minnesota actually led, despite all the effort. It was a harbinger of things to come.

Hockey Lines

Keeping up that level of frenzy takes tons of energy. Head Coach Chauncey Billups ensured it was possible by subbing in players like it was a hockey game. Ten Blazers saw the floor in the first quarter. That pattern persisted through the first half.

The results were mixed against the Timberwolves starters, but Portland’s combinations of first- and second-unit players–all scrambling frenetically–foiled Minnesota’s bench. A flurry of turnovers and run-outs gave Portland a second period surge, padding a lead they desperately needed.

Unselfish, Unconcerned Offense

Portland’s offense wasn’t exactly a work of art. When they ran out, they scored easily. Otherwise they were manufacturing opportunities, trying to turn Minnesota’s defense into Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory conveyor belt.

The key to that approach wasn’t accuracy, but unselfishness. The Blazers passed like a Maserati stuck behind a row of grannies on I-5. Only Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija held onto the ball for any appreciable amount of time in halfcourt sets. Everybody else was holding a hot potato. Nobody cared where, or from whom, the shot was coming as long as it was open.

This approach kept Minnesota moving side to side in their set defense just as much as they ran up and down in transition defense. The pressure was relentless.

You can viscerally feel the difference in Portland’s offensive approach this season. Results will be what they are, but they certainly seem committed to a defined style of play.

Shots Equal Points

114 points isn’t a disaster for the offensively-impoverished Blazers. They took 90 shots to get there. They’d probably like the number to be closer to 100, but the deficit was mitigated by a healthy 35 free throw attempts. Quantity will define Portland’s attack as much as quality this year. This was a decent first effort that way.

Rebounding

The Blazers fared well on the defensive glass, an area of potential concern given their history and personnel. Minnesota grabbed only 10 offensive rebounds, not bad at all considering they out-sized Portland. Blazers forwards were right there to sweep up when the centers couldn’t. It looks smooth and natural.

Portland appears to be deemphasizing offensive boards compared to past years. That’s fine, as it helps them get back better in transition. They ended up with 7 rebounds on the offensive end.

Turnovers and Fouls

Portland’s frenetic defense thrives off of creating turnovers. The danger is giving up as many as you force in uncontrolled chaos. Tonight Minnesota had 19 turnovers, Portland only 16. That’s an encouraging sign.

An ancillary risk for Portland, occasioned by fast play but exacerbated by fielding a no-name lineup, is getting rung up for fouls. Whistles have the potential to limit the number of participants. They also give the opponent free points that Portland can’t match.

Tonight the Blazers committed only 17 fouls, leaving Minnesota just 24 free throws. Mission accomplished.

Fourth Quarter Test

Despite everything we just said, the rubber will meet the road for the Blazers in the fourth quarter. They’ll have run for 36 minutes. Their energy will be at its lowest. They’ll probably continue pushing the ball on offense, but can they get back in transition? Can they rebound? Will they take care of the ball? What happens when jump shots start to fall short?

Results were not that promising tonight. First of all, the lineups got more static. Perhaps as a result, the Blazers allowed the pace to slow. At that point, Minnesota’s superior execution and isolation play both came to the fore. The Blazers missed 9 of 10 threes in the period. They spent a lot of time stumbling and bumbling on both ends, getting outscored 30-19..

Individual Notes

Deni Avdija took the lead early, attacking the rim quickly and without mercy. His offense echoed Portland’s philosophy: forward at all costs. That set the tone for the team and the evening. His contributions were more muted later but he still finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds in 33 minutes.

Avdija’s running buddy, Toumani Camara, shot three-pointers without effort or concern. He looked as natural lofting the ball as breathing. He had a hard task watching Anthony Edwards and occasionally Julius Randle on the other end. He stood in, but the most remarkable part of his game was probably the offensive energy, produced despite the incessant defensive demands. The flaw in his game came late. He was pressured into making isolation moves in the offense and couldn’t deliver. But that’s a systemic problem as much as an individual one. Camara had 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in 35 minutes.

If this is a preview of what Jerami Grant will bring off of the bench, the Blazers are going to be just fine. Grant was thick in the hockey substitutions. He scored 8 in a row in the second period, had 16 points by the half, and finished with 29 on 10-14 shooting, 4-7 from three. He was, in many ways, the hero of the game.

Speaking of thriving, if the Blazers are going at heart-attack speed this season, Blake Wesley is the pacemaker. The reserve point guard has no reserve–no chill at all–with the ball in his hands. He is running faster than anybody on the court. What happens at the end of that is a mystery, kind of like opening a pack of collector’s cards. But Wesley is churning the offense and daring everybody on the court–including his teammates–to keep up with him. This has got to be a dream come true for Coach Billups.

On the rare occasions Portland got stuck in the halfcourt, Shaedon Sharpe was their first option. He didn’t deliver comfortably. Sharpe shot 5-20 from the field and 3-9 from the arc. He stalled, dribbled into 4 turnovers, and stuck out like a sore thumb among his faster-reacting, pass-intensive teammates. That’s not to bag on Sharpe. He’s still finding his groove, Despite preseason shimmers, it’s still a work in progress. (However–and this is big–Sharpe looked engaged and connected on defense as much as anybody else. That hurdle appears to be at least semi-cleared.)

Donovan Clingan had 8 points, 6, rebounds, and 2 blocks in 30 minutes. But the most remarkable thing to see in this game is that he’s not that much smaller than Rudy Gobert. Wow.

Jrue Holiday’s play was as smart and compact as ever. He blends right in on defense: right spot, right time. You don’t notice his offense until the exact moment you do, and then it’s deadly. If Sharpe and Avdija are tanks breaking down the opponent’s front line, Holiday is a rogue sneaking in the side for a backstab. One critique might be that Holiday appeared to fade late in the game as much as anyone. He scored 14 with 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals but also shot 1-7 from distance and had 4 turnovers

Everyone will want to know how Yang Hansen fared in his first-ever NBA game. He set a bone-jarring pick on Donte DivincenzOHHHH-IS-HE-ALRIGHT? in the first quarter. His screens are league-ready already. He’s definitely not used to the jump-shooting ability or the quickness of opponents. You can see his decision wheels turning on defense. By the time they land on a definitive action, the shooter is already in the air (or occasionally at the rim dunking). Hansen played 5 minutes with 2 points and a rebound.