The Portland Trail Blazers’ 2026-2027 couldn’t have gotten off to a better start Wednesday night. They routed the Phoenix Suns 124-80. Damian Lillard made his long-awaited return to Moda Center, Micah Nori earned his first win as head coach, and at least for one night, there were no concerns about how the Blazers would distribute minutes and ballhandling duties in their crowded backcourt.
The Blazers scored the game’s first 21 points and held the Suns scoreless for more than six minutes to open the game.
By the time the dust settled in the opening quarter, the Blazers led 43-12. The Suns made just 4 of their 20 first quarter shots.
Lillard led the way with 25 points, while Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara each scored 18.
Here are some instant reactions to tonight’s game.
Lillard’s Return
In addition to it just being great to see him back in a Blazers uniform, Lillard looked great playing a slightly different role. He started alongside Ja Morant. When the two shared the court, Morant took on more of the primary point guard duties.
Lillard looked comfortable as an off-guard, forcing defenders to chase him all over the court. When opportunities arose, he was ready to fire. He finished his night with an extremely efficient 25 points in 24 minutes, making 7 of 12 shots from the field, including 6 of 10 from behind the arc. He knocked down all five of his free throws and dished out six assists.
Boards
The Blazers were dominant on the glass, outrebounding the Suns 24-7 in the first quarter and 68-44 for the game. The usual suspects were beasts on the glass. Donovan Clingan recorded just 7 rebounds, but kept several other plays alive on the offensive end. Robert Williams III collected 10 rebounds in just 15 minutes.
But what made the rebounding performance so impressive was how many other Blazers chipped in. Avdija (10), Morant (5) and Holiday (4) were all aggressively chasing rebounds. The Suns eventually finished with X offensive rebounds, but none were consequential.
Ball Movement
With Avdija and Morant, the Blazers will be good at getting downhill and attacking the paint. Against the Suns, the offensive outburst came more from ball movement than from the relentless drives we saw last season.
The Blazers were effective moving the ball side-to-side, forcing the Suns to scramble. Avdija, Morant and Lillard all made several excellent cross-court passes, generating open catch-and-shoot threes for teammates and opening up driving lanes while defenders were out of position. The Suns forced the third most turnovers in the league last season, but were never able to make the Blazers uncomfortable.
Morant set the tone early and led the team with eight assists, but everybody shared the ball. The Blazers registered assists on all 13 of their first quarter baskets and finished with 32. Last season, they averaged 25.1 assists per game (23rd in the league) and only dished out 32 or more assists five times.
The unselfish performance felt like the right way to welcome Lillard back to Portland.
Box Score
Up Next
The Blazers head down to Sacramento to take on the Kings on Friday night. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 PM Pacific.
