The Portland Trail Blazers found something bigger than a win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. They found a late-game answer to the question that had been hanging over them before the season even got rolling.
In a tight, back-and-forth game on the road, the Blazers needed somebody to finish it. With one minute left, NBC analyst Reggie Miller put the doubt into words for everyone watching at home: "Who do you go with?"
That’s been the conversation around Portland ever since Ja Morant landed in Portland and joined Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija. Morant has built his reputation as the closer.
Avdija emerged as Portland’s primary option during his breakout season last year. And when Lillard is in a Portland jersey, the instinct is obvious: the ball should be in his hands.
Instead of creating friction, that overlapping star power became the thing that beat the Lakers.
Avdija set up Lillard for a three-pointer that landed like a hammer. The crowd erupted so loudly it sounded more like the Moda center than an away building. Lillard and Avdija celebrated together, and Morant matched Lillard’s trademark celebration right after.
What looked, from the outside, like a possible ego issue turned into Portland’s most dangerous trait.
That possibility had already been on the radar. In a recent discussion among the Blazers On SI staff, the concern was raised that ego could become the obstacle, especially because it is easy to stay selfless when everything is going smoothly.
Morant addressed that after Portland’s win over Sacramento, saying the team would only go as far as its willingness to share the spotlight.
“If we all are unselfish, ego-free and just want the best way … there shouldn’t be no problems.”
The first two games of the season hadn’t really forced Portland to answer many hard questions. Even the Kings offered resistance without ever making the games feel truly out of control.
But Los Angeles was different. At Crypto.com Arena, the Blazers dealt with foul trouble, a string of missed free throws and a crowd that only grew louder every time No. 77 in purple got the ball on the way to his 41 points.
It was Portland’s hardest test so far, and maybe the toughest one it will face for a while.
In a moment like that, most teams lean on one player and live with the result. Oklahoma City has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Knicks hand it to Jalen Brunson. Portland, against the Lakers, showed something else entirely.
Over the final stretch, Lillard, Avdija and Morant accounted for Portland’s last 14 points. Two of Lillard’s three-pointers came on assists from Avdija, and the trio closed the door together.
That kind of balance is hard to pull off. It asks stars to attack without trying to own every possession. But Micah Nori said that’s exactly what he expects from this group.
“They both want to win,” Nori said postgame, referring to Morant and Lillard. “They’re both playing selfless…I think that's the reason it's working.”
It’s still only three games into an 82-game season, and there will be nights when this setup gets messy. But against the Lakers, Portland showed that having three players who can seize the moment is not a problem. It’s a weapon.
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What stood out for Portland was not just the scoring, but the way it controlled the margins that usually decide games like this. The Blazers shot better, got to the line more often and won the rebounding battle, a combination that let them absorb the Lakers' firepower and still finish on top in a game that was never short on offense. [Read more 🡒]
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Miami is now living with the realities of that kind of move after landing Giannis, and the opening stretch has not exactly looked like the instant contender blueprint the Heat hoped for. A poor start has already raised questions about how quickly the roster can support a title push, which only adds another layer to Portlands what-if. The Blazers may not have landed the biggest name in the conversation, but they also avoided the immediate pressure that comes with trying to make a championship timeline work from day one. [Read more 🡒]