It might not have been as easy as expected given the personnel, but the Portland Trail Blazers were able to hang on and outlast the shorthanded Golden State Warriors 123-118 Wednesday night in the preseason opener at the Moda Center.
For a competitively meaningless contest in October, the exhibition held a number of intriguing storylines. It marked the debut of new head coach Micah Nori, who brings with him a mountain of NBA coaching experience. It was the much-anticipated debut of the team’s new star
in Ja Morant before what looks to be a trajectory-defining season. And, of course, it marked the first time in nearly three and a half years that Damian Lillard, the greatest player in franchise history, had suited up in the Blazer uniform.
What we noticed
If tonight was to be a coming-out party of sorts, the Warriors (or at least the league scheduling office) didn’t get the memo. Golden State, visiting on the second night of a back-to-back and three games in four nights, understandably told Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and basically all of their other vets to not even bother getting on the plane. Portland was able to play with its new toys in front of an eager home crowd in a relatively stress-free environment.
Nevertheless, the Warriors did not roll over. The Blazers had to earn it. Portland built up several leads only for Golden State to snap off a quick run and level it back even. Until late, the largest lead of the game for either team was only 10 points; the score remained close from wire-to-wire. It was not a case of the starters going out and the Warriors suddenly making it look respectable.
True to Nori’s proclamations through the early days of the training camp, the team played fast and with intensity, albeit in abbreviated stints. Pushing the ball downhill after misses looked as natural as with any Portland team in recent memory. Having up to four guys on the floor who can all handle the ball in transition gives them a consistent fast break threat that will keep opponents on their toes at the defensive glass. The Blazers finished with 25 points in transition, 13 of which came in the first half with the primary rotation players.
On the other side of the ball, it was a much different story. Outside of a handful of possessions, Portland did not press much on defense. The rugged physicality Nori has repeatedly referenced as a team cornerstone was mostly… let’s say selective. Given the circumstances, this could probably be expected, as that kind of tenacity and effort just don’t generally manifest in the first preseason game. Most of the highlights occurred in the second half, particularly a sequence where Sidy Cissoko drew multiple offensive fouls followed by a jump ball on an acrobatic in-air contest at the rim. Rob Williams also turned in a pound-for-pound gem, finishing with 8 points to go along with 5 blocks and 5 rebounds in just 14 minutes.
Player of the Game
It didn’t look like Damian Lillard had missed a beat since his Three-Point Contest victory back in February (the only real(ish) basketball competition he has faced in over a year), as “The Letter O” came out of the gates blasting from long range. He knocked down three triples in the first quarter and went 5-11 overall on his way to 15 points in 19 minutes of action. But his performance is really only secondary to his presence, which invigorated the Moda Center faithful and will hopefully set the tone for the remainder of the season.
Up next
Boxscore
The Blazers get the weekend off before hosting the London Lions of the British SuperLeague in another exhibition match Monday afternoon at 1pm PST.
