The Portland Trail Blazers got the win over the Golden State Warriors, but this one wasn’t built on the kind of fireworks some might have expected from Damian Lillard and Ja Morant.
Instead of a star-heavy scoring blast, Portland leaned on balance. Lillard finished with 15 points, Morant added eight, and the Blazers still found enough offense to pull it out. Deni Avdija led the way with an efficient 23 points, and the bench gave Portland the kind of support that can swing a game when the headliners are quieter than usual.
That’s the real takeaway from this matchup: Portland didn’t need Lillard and Morant to carry the entire load.
Lillard shot 5-11 from the field and 3-8 from beyond the arc. Morant went 3-8 from the field, scored eight points, handed out five assists and also turned it over four times.
Those aren’t the numbers that usually define a night for two guards of that caliber, but the Blazers didn’t care. The rest of the roster picked up the slack.
Avdija was the cleanest scoring presence on the floor for Portland. He knocked down 9-13 shots, hit three triples, and added two rebounds and two assists.
What stood out wasn’t just the total, but how he got there. He didn’t have to force the issue.
He just kept finishing plays and kept the offense moving.
That matters. If Avdija can keep giving Portland that kind of efficient secondary scoring, defenses won’t be able to load up on the stars without paying for it somewhere else.
The bench did its part too, and then some. Robert Williams III turned in a sharp defensive line in only 14 minutes, finishing with eight points, five rebounds and five blocks.
Jeremy Sochan scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting. Micah Potter chipped in 13 points and six rebounds.
Shaedon Sharpe added nine points, three rebounds and three assists.
That kind of depth gives Portland multiple ways to stay in control of a game. Williams in particular brought rim protection that doesn’t always jump off the scoreboard, but absolutely changes possessions.
Golden State had plenty of its own bright spots, just not enough of them in the same game. Miles Kelly led the Warriors with 24 points on 8-16 shooting.
Dalen Terry nearly filled up the box score with 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Will Richard added 15 points and made all three of his three-point tries.
The issue was everything around that. Malevy Leons struggled badly, going 2-11 from the field, and too many others couldn’t find a steady rhythm.
The Warriors did shoot 56% from three-point range, going 19-for-34, which normally puts you in position to win. But the overall picture still came up short.
Kelly and Terry showed they can produce. Golden State just needs more of the lineup to meet them there.
In Other News...
Blazers New Backcourt Is Already Raising One Huge Question
The preseason opener against Golden State offered a glimpse of what Portlands revamped guard group could look like on offense, with Damian Lillard and Ja Morant both finding the scoreboard and looking comfortable in the same gym. For a team that has added serious shot creation, that part is easy to imagine. The harder part is sorting out how all the pieces fit when the Trail Blazers already have Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson in the mix.
Portlands backcourt depth gives the roster more punch, but it also leaves coach Micah Nori with a lineup puzzle that has to be solved early. Morant and Lillard bring the kind of firepower that can change a game in a hurry, while Holiday offers a more defensive-minded alternative if the team decides it needs more balance. The question now is not whether the guards can score together, but whether the Blazers can find the right combination to keep opponents from exploiting them on the other end. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]