Damian Lillard made his return to the Trail Blazers count, scoring 25 points in their season-opening game against the Phoenix Suns. Portland dominated the game, winning 124-83 after jumping out to a 21-0 lead. Ja Morant, who joined the team in the offseason, contributed 14 points and eight assists. Toumani Camara added 18 points to help secure the victory. For the Suns, Devin Booker led with 23 points, but it wasn’t enough as Phoenix shot poorly from the field, hitting only 36% of their shots. Lillard, who spent his first 11 NBA seasons with Portland before two years with the Milwaukee Bucks, rejoined the team last summer and spent the past season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. The Blazers have a new coach in Micah Nori, who took over after Tiago Splitter left for the Chicago Bulls. The team also acquired Ja Morant in a trade that sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Memphis Grizzlies. Portland built a big lead early, with Lillard, Morant, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan hitting 3-pointers. They led 72-39 at halftime, and Lillard finished with six three-pointers. Avdija, who was a breakout player last season, had 18 points and 10 rebounds despite an ankle injury. The Suns couldn’t find their rhythm, going 6 of 31 from three-point range. Coach Nori pulled the starters early in the fourth quarter as the game got out of hand. Looking ahead, the Suns will host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, while the Blazers visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
