The Blazers Opened With a Statement — Lillard and Morant Made the Suns Look Overmatched

Portland’s season started with a demolition of the Suns. The Trail Blazers controlled the game from the jump, built a massive lead early, and never let Phoenix back in. Damian Lillard and Ja Morant shared the floor in the starting backcourt for the first time in a real game, and the result was exactly what the building wanted to see: pace, scoring, and a team that looked connected on opening night.

Lillard, back after missing all of last season with an Achilles tear and back in a Blazers jersey for the first time since 2022-23, attacked from deep and finished with a big scoring night. Morant, acquired in the offseason from Memphis, started alongside him, pushed the tempo, and contributed as a secondary scorer and facilitator. Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan filled in around them. The Suns never got comfortable. Portland’s ball movement and early threes turned the game into a rout before the second half was deep.

Who drove the Blazers

It was the new backcourt. Lillard still has the gravity of a primary scorer who can create space for everyone else. Morant gives them another creator who can get downhill and force defenses to scramble. Together they gave Portland multiple ways to initiate offense instead of relying on one guy. Avdija’s versatility and Camara’s activity helped on the other end, but the engine was the two guards. When a team opens the season with its two highest-upside backcourt pieces on the floor and the opponent looks lost, the driving force is clear: the new pairing worked better than the preseason questions suggested.

What it means if they stay healthy

The Blazers now have real offensive options in the backcourt for the first time in years. Lillard’s return plus Morant’s addition gives them two players who can create their own shots and set up teammates. The floor rises immediately if both are available. Portland already made the playoffs last season; adding this kind of scoring and playmaking should push them toward a higher seed in the West if the health holds.

The ceiling is a team that can compete for a top-six spot and make noise in the first round. The risk is the same one both players carry. Lillard is coming off a full missed season. Morant has missed significant time over the last three years due to injuries and suspensions. If either spends extended stretches on the sideline, the backcourt logjam (Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday are still on the roster) becomes a different problem and the ceiling drops. One blowout against the Suns does not erase that history.

Opening night was the best-case version of the new Blazers. Lillard looked comfortable, Morant fit as a starter, and the Suns were never in it. The next stretch of games will show whether this backcourt can stay on the floor together and produce at a high level when the schedule gets harder. For one night, Portland looked like a team with real offensive teeth again.