The Portland Trail Blazers got an early look at the kind of firepower they may be able to unleash this season, and the first preseason game against the Golden State Warriors offered a small but eye-catching sample.
Ja Morant and Damian Lillard each flashed in the opening quarter. Lillard knocked down a smooth jumper from beyond the arc after Toumani Camara briefly controlled the ball following a pass from Morant, then found Lillard open.
Ja Morant collects his miss to get his first preseason bucket as a Blazer 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QRxk2ExgnN
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 8, 2026
The nine-time NBA All-Star did what he has made a habit of doing over the years and buried the shot. Morant answered with a basket of his own in the first quarter, finishing a short look at the rim.
Portland’s backcourt has been reshaped by the June trade that brought Morant in from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. That deal gave the Blazers another high-end creator, but it also crowded a guard rotation that already includes Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson.
Lillard’s return matters for more than just the shot-making. He missed the entire 2025-26 season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during the 2025 playoffs with the Milwaukee Bucks before coming back to Portland, where he spent his first 11 seasons.
By the time of writing, Lillard had 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-8 from 3-point range, and added two steals. Morant finished with 8 points and kept setting up teammates, Lillard among them.
Even with that kind of offensive promise, the preseason opener won’t settle Portland’s lineup debate. Coach Micah Nori has already pointed to the defensive concerns that come with pairing Morant and Lillard, while Holiday remains the more defense-first option.
In Other News...
Warriors Loss Put A New Spotlight On Their Bench Depth
Golden States five-point loss to Portland turned into a reminder that even a strong night from the supporting cast does not always guarantee a result. The Warriors got major help from role players, with Dalen Terry coming close to a triple-double and Miles Kelly pouring in 24 points with six 3-pointers, while Brandon Williams, Will Richard, Charles Bassey, Graham Ike and Alex Toohey all chipped in along the way.
For Portland, the win offered another look at how quickly a game can tilt when the Blazers bring enough energy and balance to withstand that kind of production. It was the sort of matchup that puts a premium on depth, and for Golden State it left another question hanging over the group: whether those bench contributions are enough to hold up once the games get tighter and the rotation decisions get more demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Bring Back A Familiar Name As Roster Battle Takes Shape
The Clippers kept their preseason roster at 21 players by bringing back a familiar wing, signing Jahmyl Telfort to an Exhibit 10 contract as roster battles continue to take shape around the league. Telfort had already spent time with Los Angeles on a two-way deal before being cut in December, and he is expected to head back to the San Diego Clippers in the G League as part of the next stage of that path.
Elsewhere in the same Exhibit 10 shuffle, Portland moved on from guard Jaylen Martin and Sacramento waived Trhae Mitchell after signing him, a reminder of how these camp deals often double as a pipeline to the G League. For the Trail Blazers, Martin's latest move fits the familiar late-summer churn, with the organization again sorting out its deeper back-end options while keeping an eye on development opportunities tied to the Rip City Remix. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Loss Brought Back A Familiar Offensive Concern
For a stretch, the Trail Blazers got exactly the kind of offensive help they have been searching for around Damian Lillard and Ja Morant. Deni Avdija set the tone with 23 points, Portland got meaningful production from the bench, and the ball moved well enough to keep Golden State from leaning on the usual answers. It was the sort of balanced night that can make the offense look more reliable, even against a team that had its own bright spots from Miles Kelly and Dalen Terry.
The concern, though, is how quickly that balance can disappear when Portland is not getting that extra lift. The Blazers have seen the offense bog down before when scoring becomes too concentrated on the stars, and this game served as a reminder of how much easier things get when the supporting cast is involved. The encouraging part is that the pieces were there against the Warriors, which leaves the bigger question of whether that level of help can show up consistently. [Read more 🡒]