Lillard Scores 25 in Return as Blazers Rout Suns 124-83: 21-0 Start Is Largest in 25 Seasons
PORTLAND, Oregon — The Portland Trail Blazers, playing in Multnomah County, Oregon, opened the season at Moda Center on October 21 with a 124-83 rout of the Phoenix Suns. Damian Lillard, who missed last season with a torn left Achilles tendon, scored 25 points in about 24 minutes in his first game back in a Portland uniform, hitting 6 of 10 three-pointers and adding six assists. According to OptaStats, Portland's 21-0 start was the largest opening run in the league in 25 seasons; the Blazers led 43-12 after one quarter and 72-39 at halftime, a 33-point margin that was the franchise's largest halftime lead in a season opener, and led by as many as 52.
Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara scored 18 points apiece for Portland, and Ja Morant had 14 points and eight assists in his Blazers debut. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 23 points. Booker and Morant were each assessed a technical foul after a brief first-quarter confrontation. Lillard spent his first 11 seasons in Portland before joining the Milwaukee Bucks, tore his Achilles in the 2025 postseason, and returned to Portland on a three-year deal in July 2025 after rehab. Portland next visits the Sacramento Kings on October 23. (GSM, based on Reuters reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 开拓者主场 Moda Center 实景资料图。图片：Michael Barera，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Moda Center, home of the Trail Blazers, file photo. Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
