Portland is back in the warm embrace of Damian Lillard, and it feels like everything’s going to be okay. At least, it definitely felt that way during the Trail Blazers’ season opener on Wednesday night, where Lillard helped Portland beat the Phoenix Suns by a ridiculous margin. The Suns didn’t score a point until about six minutes into the game, at which time they were already down by more than 20. The final score was 124-83. Lillard, 36, scored 25 of them, the most of any player on the court.
For fans, Lillard’s presence on the court Wednesday was three years in the making. The crowd was captivated by the star Blazers point guard, who so devastatingly left Portland to play on the Milwaukee Bucks for two years starting in 2023, and was sidelined with an injury last year. But he’s back now, and if Wednesday’s game is any indication, we’re in safe hands.
It’s not just Lillard, either—the Blazers have a really interesting roster this season. Some have speculated about how all the pieces would fit together. Of particular interest to sports commentators was the dynamic between Lillard and Ja Morant, the Blazers’ 27-year-old new point guard (a trade from the Memphis Grizzlies), who occupy very similar roles on the team. Well, they managed to make it work. And they seem tired of talking about it. (More on that later.)
It’s an interesting time to be a Blazers fan, and not just because of the fascinating player dynamics. We’re all aware the team’s new owner, Tom Dundon, doesn’t like Portland. Even after state, county, and city leaders degraded themselves (and sold out their constituents) by vowing to fund his precious Moda Center renovation, Dundon still seems intent on moving our beloved NBA team. (He occasionally claims otherwise, but nobody believes him.) So Portlanders don’t like him much, either. They actually truly hate him, if a recent poll is to be trusted. One fan at last night’s game, Adam, put it this way: “I think the owner of the Blazers sucks and the NBA should force him out.”
Dundon’s antics happen to coincide with real problems in this city and state, many of which could very well improve with a few hundred million dollars in public money that’s instead been allocated to arena renovations. Under such circumstances, it’s become a little awkward to openly celebrate the Blazers. Some people now seem to view Blazers fans with contempt, equating their love for the team with support for its cheapskate billionaire owner. That perspective is somewhat understandable, but it completely leaves out the reality that basketball is awesome. Especially when the Portland Trail Blazers are playing it well.
Wednesday’s game was a pretty good illustration. The crowd roared with genuine joy when Lillard stepped onto the court, and they hung on his every move thereafter. It is just so fun to watch this guy gliding around the court, sinking threes and effortlessly making every free throw. Morant also carried an infectious energy, and proved to be artful with the assist. As should be obvious from the lopsided score, the Blazers mounted a formidable defense against the Suns, blocking one shot after another.
Obviously, the vibes in the arena were good. But watching a team win this decisively can get boring after a while. Blazers fans streamed out of the Moda Center starting in the third quarter, certain of Portland’s victory. Those who left early missed 21-year-old center Yang Hansen netting a hook shot and a three-pointer within 30 seconds in the fourth quarter. They also missed the “Blazers win” confetti, which honestly felt a little unnecessary after a game like that. We know they won! We knew from the first quarter!
But I’m getting nitpicky, because there’s not much else to criticize here. Lillard is back, and the Blazers crushed it. Portland’s “doom loop” is nowhere to be found.
You might think the players and coach Micah Nori would be happy after such an amazing game—but you wouldn’t know it from the low-energy postgame press conference. Nori spoke to reporters first, reflecting on his first win as head coach of an NBA team. The Blazers’ brand-new coach was hired to replace interim head coach Tiago Splitter, who himself replaced Chauncey Billups after Billups was arrested by the FBI last year for his alleged involvement in an illegal, Mafia-backed gambling ring.
Nori has sleepy, puppy dog eyes and a habit of punctuating his sentences with “but in all seriousness,” even when he didn’t say anything that could possibly be construed as a joke. Any joy he might’ve felt after such a successful first game seemed infused with a bit of anxiety about the team resting on their laurels.
“In all seriousness, the guys came out, competed, the game plan was right on point, and the guys just executed,” Nori said. “One of 82 [games], but it was a very good start, for sure.”
Later, Nori gave reporters the quote they were clearly fishing for, telling the room the team’s performance “exceeded [his] wildest dreams.”
“It exceeded expectations from a sense that you just appreciate the guys and you felt how much it meant to them,” Nori said. “So I think it, quite honestly, meant a lot.”
Morant and Lillard came out to talk to reporters, too, and each spent a good amount of time talking about the other. Morant was gracious about the reception Lillard received from the crowd, seeming to understand how much his return meant to Portlanders.
“Honestly, I feel like the most mind-blowing thing today was [Lillard] hasn’t played in 18 months, and he came out and delivered the way he did for us,” Morant said. “It’s special, man.”
But Morant tensed up a bit when a reporter asked about the team dynamic, considering how many guards the Blazers currently have.
“Before we even stepped on the floor, Dame reminded me of what everyone was saying. So….” Morant said.
“What’s that?” the reporter asked.
“I mean, y’all know,” Morant replied.
“Oh, I don’t. Really, what is it?” the reporter asked again.
“It’s all good,” Morant said. “Just know, we handle business. That’s all. We ain’t gonna speak on it.”
Morant may have been referring to the rampant media speculation about how he and Lillard would get along, on and off the court. For background: The former Grizzlies player got briefly suspended from the league in 2023 after posting a video of himself waving a gun in a strip club. Then he did the same thing a couple months later, and got suspended again. As far as NBA controversies go, it’s small potatoes. But Morant’s history has provided grist for the rumor mill, with columnists in Portland and elsewhere wondering how he and Lillard would possibly make it work.
Finally, Lillard entered the press room, exuding a stoic energy. He, too, refused to outright celebrate his victory without qualifying it. When a reporter asked him if there was a moment in the game where he felt like he was “feeling it,” Lillard demurred.
“No, I wouldn’t say that. I did feel good, but I’ve felt good for months now. I’ve been saying that, but I think there are probably some people that might’ve been skeptical, because they hadn’t seen me,” he said. “I felt great tonight. I made shots, but I wouldn’t say I was feeling it. You’ve been around when I started feeling it. It would’ve been way more than what it was tonight.”
The one time Lillard cracked a smile at the press conference was at the very end, when he was asked about Morant’s likeness dunking on the White Stag sign.
“I thought that was fire,” he said.
The Blazers will play the Sacramento Kings on the road tomorrow night. Their next home game is against the Memphis Grizzlies next Thursday, October 29.
