Damian Lillard’s triumphant return energized the Portland Trail Blazers, who dominated the Phoenix Suns 124-83.

PORTLAND, Ore. — That was quite the start to the 2026-27 NBA season. 

The Portland Trail Blazers dominated the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, 124-83. The team jumped out to an incredible 21-0 start at home. The lead never dipped below 20 points. And Damian Lillard, in his Rip City return, led all scorers with 25 points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting in just 24 minutes. 

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Without exaggeration, it was the kind of season opener you’d write into your team’s script for the year if you were in the league’s scriptwriters guild. 

And while blowouts often end up as blips on the radar instead of real learning experiences, this one gave us meaningful takeaways as the franchise enters its newest experiment. 

1. Dame Time Is Back

From the moment Lillard grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd ahead of tipoff, Moda had an energy not even matched by last season’s playoff run. 

Dame Time being back means a lot more than just points on the board. It’s truly about that energy. 

Good vibes don’t always win games, but “culture” means something, and few players in history have provided the kind of calming leadership Lillard brings. 

When Lillard is on your roster, your culture will only improve. When he’s on your bench, in your locker room, and, yes, on the court, the energy that follows him is palpable. 

That’s what Dame Time really means in Portland. 

And it only adds to the experience that he looked like a true No. 1 option again against the Suns’ Swiss cheese defense. 

2. Dame’s 3-Point Shot Is More Dangerous Than Ever

Lillard made headlines this offseason claiming he’s the second-best shooter in NBA history. After thinking it over, I agreed. 

Although one game puts us in super-small-sample-size territory, one thing is still clear: Dame’s deep ball is aging like fine McCollum Family Vineyard wine. 

In his first game back, Lillard looked like he never left. More importantly, he looked like he’d never missed a season to injury, including both his movement and his production. 

In his 24 minutes, Lillard hit nearly every type of three you can imagine. Spot up? Check. Stepback? Of course. Contested? Yep. Transition? Obviously. 

On the night, Lillard shot 6-of-10 from distance. Those six makes tied Jared McCain for the third-most three-point makes through two games. And the confidence with which he shot—not to mention the variety of shot types he took—suggests this could be the best season of his career from behind the arc. 

3. The Guard Chemistry Is Good

Lillard deserves an A+ for his season debut. But Ja Morant was excellent in his first game as a Trail Blazer. 

Morant shot an efficient 6-of-8 from the field. He hit two of his three attempts from long distance. His eight assists on just one turnover speak to his ability to run an offense without being the No. 1 scorer. 

Off the bench, Scoot Henderson looked very good. His 1-of-6 from deep isn’t ideal, but it should be an unfortunate anomaly, as he’s otherwise trending in the right direction, and nothing about his mechanics was concerning, even on the misses. 

Otherwise, Scoot attacked the rim with a Ja-like smoothness and a Dame-like Confidence. Off the bench, Jrue Holiday was quieter, but he was always in the right place, collecting two steals and dishing out four assists alongside eight points. 

To paraphrase the Trail Blazers’ broadcast team: Imagine you’re on the opposing defense, and you see Lillard and Morant sub out, only to watch Scoot and Jrue jump in. 

New head coach Micah Nori also experimented with some three-guard lineups right out of the gate. We’ll need to see how those look against more than just one team. But that already feels like it could become a staple of the rotation all year. 

4. 3-Point Shooting Is Contagious

Lillard was in his zone against Phoenix, and his new teammates also looked much improved from last season. 

In 2025-26, Portland ranked 28th in three-point percentage. On Wednesday, they shot 40 percent—a number that would’ve ranked No. 1 a year ago—and they got the following three-point showings from the starters:

Damian Lillard: 6-of-10Toumani Camara: 4-of-7Deni Avdija: 2-of-4Donovan Clingan: 1-of-2Ja Morant: 2-of-3

None of this is a coincidence. Yes, Dame may be working with the guards on their shooting. And of course, you can go back to the “Dame Time” or ”culture” point from above. But it also comes down to gravity. 

Lillard has commanded more defensive pull than most stars not named Stephen Curry throughout his career, and that evidently hasn’t changed. 

Although we can expect Dame to be a bit more of a catch-and-shoot distance shooter than before, Wednesday showed that his stepback game and transition shot still put defenses on notice as much as ever. 

The more defenses look Lillard’s way, the less they think about Morant or Avdija as deep threats. 

5. Defense Concerns Might Be Overblown

Critics of the Morant trade pointed to defense as the main concern. Morant and Lillard are seen as poor defenders, and doubters often called them the “worst defensive backcourt in the league” in season previews. 

If Game 1 is any indication, those concerns might be exaggerated. 

For starters, Morant showed off his quick hands multiple times in iso defense situations. He finished with a team-high +33 in plus-minus, and his efficient offense more than made up for any minor lapses on the defensive end of the court. 

Then, more broadly, the defense locked in and locked down the entire contest. Donovan Clingan wasn’t credited with a block, but his rim protection altered shots significantly during the team’s initial 21-0 run to open the first quarter. Robert Williams and Toumani Camara rotated quickly and played physically just about every minute they saw. 

As of Wednesday night, Portland looks like the league’s best defensive team. Or, at least, they put together the best defensive showing. 

The Suns’ 83 points were the lowest of any team debut this season. The 66 points they scored through three quarters, while rotation players were still playing, are also the lowest. 

Although Portland’s overall Defensive Rating—a more telling, comprehensive advanced stat—isn’t available as of this writing, don’t be surprised if the Blazers lead in that category when it comes out on Thursday. 

Overall, this team looks ready to fight defensively. Neither Lillard’s nor Morant’s insertion into the starting lineup seems to be impacting that. 

Or at least, if nothing else, Game 1’s defense gave fans extra optimism ahead of a long, 82-game grind. 

There’s a lot of basketball left to play. But Wednesday’s showing against Phoenix was as good as it gets for Lillard and the Trail Blazers. 

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