The Good And Meh From The Blazers Preseason Opener

With 10 inactive players from Golden State, Wednesday night’s preseason matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and Warriors lacked a certain oomph. Rip City had a good time, though, watching the Blazers topple the Warriors 123-118.

Deni Avdija led Portland with 23 points, shooting 9-for-13 from the field and 3-for-6 from three. Lillard added 15 points on 3-for-8 shooting. Scoot Henderson had 9 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds on 3-for-8 shooting, while Ja Morant had 8 points, 5 assists and 4 turnovers on a 3-for-8 showing.

Donovan Clingan recorded 10 rebounds and one block. Robert Williams III chipped in 8 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocks. Jrue Holiday shot poorly, but still managed 5 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Micah Potter had 13 points and Jeremy Sochan added 10 points.

The Warriors, meanwhile, had a hodgepodge of contributors with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski and Al Horford — just to name a few — out and back in San Francisco.

Six Warriors finished in double-figures, led by a 24-point performance by Miles Kelly.

The Good

Blazers guard Damian Lillard brings the ball up the court against the Warriors during the first half at Moda Center. — Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard brings the ball up the court against the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Moda Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The trio of Morant, Avdija and Lillard didn’t take long to assert themselves, with each either scoring or getting a decent look within the first three minutes, spreading the love early.

The Blazers started hot, leading by as much as nine in the first quarter, but as is the nature of the NBA, the lead didn’t hold for long. After the first media timeout Portland led 18-12. The Blazers were 4-for-5 from 3-point range at that point, Lillard responsible for two of them and 6-for-8 from the field overall. The Warriors, meanwhile, were 5-for-11 from the field and 2-for-5 from 3-point range.

Leading 57-50 at the half, the Blazers had a pretty solid two quarters. Lillard, in particular, looked really good, scoring 15 points while shooting 3-for-8 from 3-point range. He’s still a sniper, to nobody’s surprise — it’s his burst and ability to blow-by defenders, albeit preseason defenders, that’s most promising.

Avdija was efficient, impactful despite not having the ball as much as he usually did last year. Through the first half he had 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting overall and 2-for-4 from three. The Blazers as a whole were 8/20 (40 percent) from three, much better than their 28th-placed 34.3 percent average from last season.

Holiday showed an excellent level of aggression, constantly seeking opportunities to push the ball-ahead, even off made buckets.

The meh

Blazers guard Ja Morant shoots the ball over Warriors forward Dalen Terry during the first half at Moda Center. — Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant shoots the ball over Golden State Warriors forward Dalen Terry during the first half at Moda Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It feels a bit unfair to nitpick too much from a preseason opener, but there were some less than glamorous moments. Sidy Cissoko was a bit indecisive, passing up open 3-pointers, or trying to dish last minute drives, which he is clearly not great at.

If there was something balancing between disappointment or simply being underwhelming, it had to be Morant’s performance. Pretty inefficient and turnover prone, he didn’t paint the prettiest picture, but there’s plenty of canvas left. I wouldn’t look too much into it.

The Blazers (1-0) will continue their preseason against Super League Basketball’s London Lions on Monday at 1 p.m. at the Moda Center.

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