game recap

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Casey Holdahl

MINNEAPOLIS  -- It’s been a rough start to 2024 for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Portland finished up a two-week, seven-game road trip that started in 2023 with a 116-93 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in front of a sellout crowd of 18,024 Friday night at Target Center.

“I thought we played much better than we did last night (versus Oklahoma City), our intentions were pretty good,” said Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. “We just couldn’t make a shot in that first half to keep it close. We did a good job of creating the right type of shots.”

Jabari Walker led Portland with 17 points to go with 13 rebounds, three assists and a steal in 32 minutes. Toumani Camara and Duop Reath each added 14 points and Jerami Grant finished with 15 points in 30 minutes.

The Trail Blazers are now 10-28 overall, 5-17 on the road and went 1-6 on their first trip of 2024, with the only truly competitive game coming in their overtime victory versus the Nets in Brooklyn on January 7.

Portland averaged just 96.6 points on 39 percent shooting from the field, 32 percent shooting from the field and 71 percent shooting from the line on the trip while losing by an average of 33.1 points. Even factoring in their one win, the Trail Blazers were outscored by 197 points on a trip that took them through Phoenix, Dallas, New York City, Oklahoma City and finally Minneapolis.

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Portland Trail Blazers 93, Minnesota Timberwolves 116 | Game Highlights | Jan 12, 2024

“It was a tough trip for us, definitely a tough trip for us,” said Jerami Grant, who finished Friday’s loss with 13 points, two steals and an assist in 30 minutes. “Got a lot of things we need to figure out in order to get back on track. We’ve got a lot of young talent, just got to figure out how to put it together, how to mesh together and how to be able to play as one unit.”

Injuries also added to the Trail Blazers’ road woes in the first few weeks of 2024.

Deandre Ayton missed the entire trip and hasn’t suited up since December 23 due to tendonitis in his right knee. Anfernee Simons missed the first few games of the trip due to illness, Jabari Walker missed the second game in Dallas and the games versus the Knicks Nets and Thunder with a knee injury. And Duop Reath missed the first game of the trip with a back issue while Shaedon Sharpe missed the last due to an adductor injury that has dogged the second-year forward for the last month.

“It’s been a tough trip, been a very tough trip,” said Billups. “But I’ll be honest with you, when our schedule came out and I seen this trip I said, ‘Dang, that’s a beast of a trip there,’ And I didn’t even know that we would obviously be injured or hurt or whatever position we would be in. Just a tough trip and it turned out to be even tougher than I thought it would. I’m just happy we’re going to be able to get home.”

The Trail Blazers return to Portland to begin a three-game homestand by hosting the Phoenix Suns Sunday night at Moda Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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'Tough Trip' Ends With Loss To Timberwolves

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Portland -- The Trail Blazers had won 10 straight meetings against the Magic dating back to 2017, but that streak has come to an end as Portland fell 113-95 to Orlando in front of a crowd of 16,024 at Moda Center on Tuesday night. Between players out with injury, and dust still settling from trades made in recent days, Portland had just nine players in uniform, opening the opportunity for an increased role for some players in Tuesday’s game.Justise Winslow made his first start of the season as a Trail Blazer, scoring the team’s first five points on two nothing-but-net jumpers. Winslow finished the game with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists to go with two steals and two blocks.

Unfortunately for Portland, the three point lead they took to start the game was the largest it would be all game, as Orlando got off to a hot shooting start connecting on 52.1% of their first-half field goals, including 57.9% from three. In comparison, the Trail Blazers shot just 33.3% from the field in the opening half and were 3 for 18 from three (16.7 %).

Gary Harris’ nine first-quarter points in just four minutes off the bench gave Orlando a four-point lead heading into the second quarter. Four points was the closest Portland would come to taking the lead for the remainder of the game. Though they would cut the Orlando lead to just four in each quarter, Portland ultimately couldn’t get over that four-point hump to retake the lead.

Portland held the edge in paint points in the first half but were outscored 33 to nine from three-point territory resulting in Orlando taking a 15-point lead into halftime. Portland made a 10-2 run in the third to get the game within four points and yet another 10-2 run in the fourth to get within the magic number of four yet again but failed to convert on any go-ahead shots in the remaining minutes. In the end, the three-point shooting disparity reared its head for Portland again, as they shot 28.9% from deep for the game compared to Orlando’s 50%. The Trail Blazers were able to get to the free-throw stripe considerably more than the Magic, converting 20 of their 26 attempts compared to just six of eight for Orlando, but it mattered not as Orlando was able to secure their first victory over Portland in their last 11 attempts.

Cole Anthony was the game’s high scorer with 23 points in 35 minutes of action, while Anfernee Simons was the leading scorer for Portland recording 19 points to go with five assists and five rebounds. Jusuf Nurkic recorded his 27th double-double of the season, a mark that puts him in the top-10 in the league in that category.

Greg Brown III had a huge night recording career-highs in minutes played (19), points (15), rebounds (8), and made threes (2) to go with his signature highlight-reel dunks.

“Greg takes advantage every time. He’s playing with so much energy. Regardless of what’s happening, you can tell he’s gonna give you what he has,” said coach Chauncey Billups of Greg Brown III’s performance following the game.

“It was a blessing to be out there and help my guys… It was a big change for me so I just had to fill in the shoes and go out and do it,” said Brown III of his increased role and the opportunity he had Tuesday and likely moving forward throughout the rest of the season.

Tuesday's game was the first of a back-to-back for the Trail Blazers who will take on the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at Moda Center. The Lakers are also coming in off of a back-to-back having lost to the Bucks. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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Trail Blazers Fall To Magic For The First Time Since 2017

MEMPHIS -- Portland’s late-game execution wasn’t perfect Sunday night, but even with a number of potentially costly errors, they made enough plays late on both sides of the ball to secure just their second win on the road this season against a quality Western Conference opponent.

After getting outplayed in the fourth by the Grizzlies in a loss at Moda Center just four days ago, the Trail Blazers got some measure of redemption Sunday night, outscoring Memphis by eight in the final quarter while making just enough timely plays late to come away with a 105-100 victory in front of a crowd of 15,977 at FedEx Forum.

“I thought it was incredible,” said Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. “As we know, (Memphis) is a really good team and they’ve been good pretty much most of the year at closing games. Was in a tough dogfight against them a couple days ago and they beat us, they closed it out and we didn’t at the end. I thought we just showed great resolve in this game. It could have went a lot of different ways but we just kept fighting.”

The Trail Blazers are now 13-18 overall and 2-11 on the road this season. The win breaks a five-game road losing streak and makes for the first time in nearly a month that Portland has won consecutive games.

“We are not going to get too excited and look ahead too much, but I think it is great for us to get a win at home the way we did,” said Norman Powell. “And then come on the road and get a gritty win like we did tonight and learn from it. You can always learn from each and every game, whether you win or lose. I think it is good momentum. It is a good way for us to see how hard we have to play, how tight in we have to be, how physical we have to be, and how focused we have to be for the full 48 minutes.”

A close, physical game throughout, neither team managed to get too much separation throughout Sunday’s contest. The Grizzlies took an early 11 point lead as Portland’s offense sputtered in the early going and then went up by nine midway through the third quarter for the same reason. But whether it was Damian Lillard scoring 17 points in the first quarter or Norman Powell going a perfect 5-of-5 from the field for 13 points in the third, the Trail Blazers were always able to keep contact, something that could not have been said of the majority of their road games this season.

Portland entered the fourth quarter trailing 80-77 before a personal 5-0 run for Anfernee Simons gave the visitors a two-point advantage with nine minutes to play. The lead would then change hands nine times, with the teams trading free throws, threes and tough attempts at the basket.

There was Lillard converting a four-point play, his second of the night, to give Portland a three-point lead with four minutes to play. Then a Desmond Bane three gave the advantage back to Memphis, though Norman Powell would answer with a three of his own on the next possession to reclaim the lead. A Bane dunk off a long tip out from a jump ball tied the game again with under two minutes to play.

But in the next minute, Nassir Little and Jusuf Nurkic each got offensive rebounds to save possessions, including one that Nurkic put back himself to give his side a two-point lead with 1:14 to play. Brooks would miss a three on the next possession, with Lillard getting the rebound, pushing the ball up the court and collapsing the defense before finding Powell on the perimeter for a 20-foot jumper.

“It was a big play,” said Powell. “We knew what they were trying to do, Dillon Brooks was being really physical trying to deny (Lillard). He was able to play through that, collapse the defense. I was just trying to find an opening in case he got in trouble, he saw me, was able to kick it out... Steven Adams was running out really hard, shot-faked him, get to my one dribble pullup I practice every single day with my trainer AJ.”

Little blocked a Bane three-point attempt on Memphis’ next possession, though after a kickball violation, Portland made the grievous mistake failing to get the ball over halfcourt in time, an effort that was then exacerbated by Lillard fouling Brooks on a three-point attempt while up four with 9.4 seconds to play, which he described as “probably one of my worst plays at the end of a game that I can remember.”

Though unlike in recent close losses, the Blazers came up clutch at the free throw line, with both Powell and Little converting their trips in order to secure the five-point victory.

“I thought we did some things that we needed to do to win the game, obviously,” said Lillard. “I think you’ve got to come up big, get a stop, get a rebound, make free throws, make some plays, make some shots. I thought we definitely did that and it’s a lot tougher on another team’s floor, especially a good team like (Memphis). But just like last game, I thought we made it a little bit harder than it had to be in moments and I think that’s a part of growth and growing in those moments. This group is new. We got a lot of new guys and we’ve got to get comfortable with each other in certain situations, but we weathered that storm and got it done.”

Lillard went 9-of-19 from the field, 3-of-9 from three and 10-of-12 from the free throw line to finish with 32 points, five assists and five rebounds in just under 38 minutes. The 6-3 point guard out of Weber State kept Portland afloat early, scoring 17 of their first 22 points.

“Our coaches, they’ve been on me about at the start of games, come out in attack mode, come out and just be super aggressive,” said Lillard. “That’s what’s going to get our team going. I’ve just been trying to come out and be aggressive and do just that and I think when you do that, teams are going to come at me harder.”

Powell scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half to go with four assists, three rebounds and a block in 35 minutes.

“I was just making the play in front of me,” said Powell. “The first half I was a little sped up, losing the ball on cuts. I was just kind of out of it a little bit, just feeling the game out. I just wanted to be aggressive and make the plays in front of me. I was staying in the present and reading what the defense was giving me. Dame (Damian Lillard) draws a lot of attention and he made some great passes out to me for open threes. I was taking my shot and trusting the work that I put in, but just trying to make winning plays in the second half and trying to make something happen on both ends of the ball.”

Nassir Little turned in one of the best all-around performances of his career, playing over 35 minutes while finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, three assists, two blocks and a steal.

Robert Covington scored 13 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting while also tallying eight rebounds and four blocks in 33 minutes. Jusuf Nurkic came close to a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes. Larry Nance Jr. also snatched 11 rebounds to go with two points, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

Dillon Brooks led all scorers with a career-high 37 points in the losing effort.

Next up, the Trail Blazers head to the Big Easy to face the Pelicans Monday night at Smoothie King Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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Trail Blazers Do Just Enough In The Fourth To Secure Second Road Win Versus Grizzlies

Four straight road wins. Four straight wins by double digits. And three straight wins against teams above .500.

The Trail Blazers are red hot and rolling.

With Sunday night’s 129-119 win in Boston, Portland improves to 36-28, and combined with a Dallas home loss against Sacramento and Lakers home loss vs. Toronto, the Trail Blazers are now part of a three-way tie for the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

“We’re trending in that direction, where we’re on the same page on defense and on the same page on offense,” said Damian Lillard following the win. “Guys are getting in better grooves. And we’re doing things that we haven’t been doing, which is defending, rebounding, sharing the ball and doing the small things that it takes to win games.”

Portland earned its 20th road win (20-12), just one shy of Phoenix for the league lead. This stretch also marks the first time in team history that the Trail Blazers have won four straight games by double figures on a single road trip.

“Great things take time. We’re playing better basketball at the right time, understanding the severity of each game, what we need to accomplish heading into the playoffs,” added CJ McCollum.

Portland’s three-guard lineup posted one of its most impressive games since the acquisition of Norman Powell, netting a combined 82 points. McCollum led the way with 33 on 12-20 shooting, Lillard recorded 26 points and 13 assists, and Powell added 23 points on 4-6 three-point shooting.

“Dame, CJ, Norm have been really good since we got Norm,” said head coach Terry Stotts. “It’s not something that’s just happened. Every game, it’s been a positive.”

The two teams were never separated by more than 10 points in a game that featured 16 lead changes. With the Blazers ahead by just two points after two Jayson Tatum free throws with 1:21 remaining, Carmelo Anthony buried a three-pointer that started an 8-0 run to put the game in the win column for Portland.

Anthony scored 13 points in all, reaching double figures in 11 straight games for the first time since Jan. 15-Feb. 4, 2018. He sits just 10 points from passing Elvin Hayes for 10th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

The Blazers and Celtics shot themselves to a draw, 71-71, in the first half. Both teams made more than 50% of their field goal attempts and were even more prolific from behind the arc (Portland 10-17, Boston 12-20). The Blazers committed just one turnover in the first 24 minutes.

Jayson Tatum followed up his career-high, 60-point night on Friday vs. San Antonio by leading the  Celtics with 33 against the Blazers, 24 of which came in the first half before Portland’s leader had something to say about it.

“Once he had that 24 in the first half, I was like ‘Let me guard him,’” said Lillard. “I’m strong enough to guard bigger guys and I can move laterally good enough, and I can get underneath them, make them a little bit more uncomfortable.”

Tatum only took six shots in scoring his nine second-half points, and the Blazers held the Celtics to 43.9% shooting from the field in those final two quarters.

The Trail Blazers are right back in action Monday night against the Hawks in the fifth of six games on the current trip. Tipoff in Atlanta is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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Blazers Keep On Rolling on the Road vs Celtics

Portland came into training camp determined to make significant improvements on defense after ranking as one of the worst teams at that end last season. After a little over a week of practices and preseason games, there’s still plenty of work to be done.

The Trail Blazers allowed 41 points on 70 percent shooting in the first quarter on the way to losing 126-95 to the Nuggets in their third preseason game of 2020 Wednesday night at Ball Arena in Denver.

“Defensively, first quarter, we got off to a poor start,” said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. “We looked a little disorganized, it was very disappointing. I do think Denver took advantage with some good passing and some good shot-making, but very disappointed with our defense this game.”

The Trail Blazers are now 1-2 in preseason play with one game remaining.

After adding the likes of Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr. and making changes to their system, the goal going into the 2020-21 season wasn’t to necessarily become a lockdown defense, but at least one that could hold opponents in check at least enough to take advantage of their elite offense.

But the Trail Blazers failed to even slow, let alone stop, a talented Nuggets offense in the first quarter, with the home team shooting 16-of-23 from the field. The Nuggets had 14 assists, a 13-6 advantage on the boards, shot 56 percent from three and scored 22 points in the paint in the first quarter, a combination that resulted in 42-34 deficit going into the second quarter.

“Sacramento shot a lot of threes, Denver shot a lot of three, so that is a concern,” said Stotts. “But one of the things we’ve really wanted to emphasize, probably a bigger concern, was in the first half, they were 14-for-15 at the rim. We can’t give up threes and give up the rim.”

To make matters worse, Portland struggled to get into an offensive rhythm, shooting 33 percent from the field and a paltry 1-of-9 from three in the first quarter, and would only improve to 27 percent before the final buzzer.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well tonight, we didn’t necessarily have a good offensive game, but I think we’ve shown over the years that we’re going to be a good offensive team,” said Stotts. “So the concern is defense and doing some things differently in a short amount of time is challenging.”

While the Trail Blazers made improvements over the next 24 minutes -- they were only outscored by two points in the second quarter and by one in the third -- with both teams sitting their starters in the fourth, Denver’s bench outscored Portland’s by 11 to secure the 31-point victory.

“We didn’t play well at either end and it’s disappointing,” said Stotts. “We’ve got a regular season game in a week, so I think we understand there’s some things we’ve got to get better at.”

Covington led the Blazers with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with three rebounds and a steal in 26 minutes. Damian Lillard, Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter all added 14 points, though none did so on better than 35 percent shooting.

Six Nuggets finished in double figures led by 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from Paul Millsap. Nikola Jokic came within shouting distance of a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in just 25 minutes.

The Trail Blazers will stick around in Denver to face the Nuggets in their last preseason game before their regular-season opener. Tipoff is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m.

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Defense Disappoints In Preseason Loss To Nuggets

PORTLAND -- There weren’t any fans in the stands to see it live and in person, but the return of two beloved Trail Blazers to the Moda Center was a welcomed sight nonetheless.

After missing out on the majority of last season due to injury, both Jusuf Nurkić and Rodney Hood played their first games on Portland’s home court in over a year in Portland’s 121-106 preseason loss to the Kings Sunday night at the Moda Center.

“In the last year and a half, they both missed a full year,” said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. “It’s been, for both of them, it was an arduous road back. Thankfully Nurk was able to play in the bubble and gain some confidence about being back on the court, Rodney is going through that right now. But I’m happy for both those guys. It’s been a long 18 months for both of them.”

The Trail Blazers are now 1-1 in preseason play.

Nurkić already showed during Portland’s 2020 restart schedule that he had no lingering physical effects from suffering multiple compound fractures in his left leg that he suffered in a victory versus the Brooklyn Nets on March 25, 2019. But playing a game on the same court where he suffered such a gruesome injury might have qualified as the last bit of rehabilitation he had to complete.

“I didn’t have one practice with the team, but this my first practice and it was cool to see new guys in,” said Nurkić. “I didn’t try to be too aggressive, I tried to see what’s going on, what people like, what they don’t like and go from there.”

That rehab was completed in the second quarter when Nurkić, who started the game and would go on to play 13 minutes, slipped and fell while going up for a rebound at almost the exact same spot on the floor where his leg broke in two places roughly 20 month prior. And while he did take a shot to the head on the play, he didn’t seem bothered otherwise and noted post-game that he didn’t linger on any of the similarities.

“To me, the bubble was cool, but this thing was weird,” said Nurkić, who finished with four points, four rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist in 13 minutes. “I’m just happy me and Rodney was back on the floor. Like, really grateful to be like, in that position again. But I don’t know, I told CJ during the game it was weird for me, just being on the floor after such a long period of time. It kind of was really different.”

As for Hood, Sunday’s contest was the first time he’s played in a game, at the Moda Center or otherwise, since rupturing his left Achilles in a loss to the Lakers on December 6, 2019. The 6-8 wing out of Duke entered the game at the 5:17 mark of the first quarter, played 12 minutes total and finished with two points, four assists, two rebonds and a block.

“It was great,” said Hood. “The first couple minutes was a little fast for me, had to get the pace down a little bit, there was a couple shots I wish I could have got back, hesitating. But after the first few minutes, I felt good to get up and down. This is the first scrimmage-like thing I’ve done. So it’s been a year, so I can’t be too hard on myself, but it was good to get out there today.”

Other than missing the energy and support from the fans, Hood said he felt good about his return to competition. He might have had a few lingering thoughts due to the serious nature of the injury, but it didn’t take long to put any hesitation behind him.

“Certain movements when you playing in a crowd and a bunch of guys around, you kind of think about it,” said Hood. “But I feel good, I’m not really hesitant about it. I know my body has a changed a little bit since I’ve played, but I felt good. Just need to get more and more reps. I know it’s a short time before we play but getting more reps, I think, will help me a lot.”

With Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, Nurkić and Hood all sitting out the second half, the Trail Blazers were led by Harry Giles III, who tormented his former team for the second-consecutive game with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 26 minutes.

Gary Trent Jr., who primarily played point guard in the second half with Lillard sitting and Anfernee Simons missing the game due to a sore hamstring, went 7-of-18 from the field and 3-of-6 from three for 17 points to go with three assists, two steals and a block in 34 minutes.

Derrick Jones Jr. scored seven of his 15 points at the free throw line and also grabbed six rebounds in 26 minutes. Despite playing limited minutes, McCollum added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from three.

Eight Kings scored in double figures, with both Richaun Holmes and Kyle Guy going for 14 points.

Next up, the Trail Blazers finish out their four-game preseason schedule by heading to Denver to play two games versus the Nuggets. The first is scheduled for Wednesday, December 16 at 6 p.m.

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Nurkić, Hood Return To The Moda Center In Preseason Loss To Kings

The Trail Blazers hadn’t played at the Moda Center in over nine months before hosting the Kings in their first game of a four-game exhibition schedule. And while it’s hard to extrapolate too much from a preseason game that was preceded by just three days of practice, one thing is for sure: despite the long layoff, the Trail Blazers have not forgotten how to shoot.

In an almost entirely empty arena, the Trail Blazers shot 51 percent from the field and 50 percent from three in a 127-102 victory versus the Sacramento Kings Friday night at the Moda Center.

“I really thought we made good progress after just three days in what we’re trying to do defensively,” said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. “Offensively, we moved the ball, I liked the shots we got. I thought we had good individual performances... It was a good first night.”

The Trail Blazers go off to a fast start offensively Friday night thanks in part to Carmelo Anthony coming off the bench to score 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first quarter. Much has been made about Anthony’s “new” role in his second season in Portland -- after starting every game he played in last season, he’s expected to come off the bench this season -- but he looked like “vintage Melo” even as a reserve.

“I don’t know what that role is supposed to be,” said Anthony of coming off the bench. “But I accept it. It is what it is, it’s basketball at the end of the day.”

While Anthony’s performance might have been reminiscent of what we’ve seen before over the course of his 17-year career, fans watching at home got their first glimpse of what Derrick Jones Jr. and Harry Giles, both signed as free agents this offseason, might look like in their first seasons as Trail Blazers.

Jones Jr, who started at small forward while fellow newcomer Robert Covington started at power forward, went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field for 15 points to go with five rebounds and an assist. He also made both of his three-point attempts, a good first sign for a player who has shot just 28 percent from deep through his first four NBA seasons.

“You know how we are here, we try to encourage guys to improve their shooting,” said Stotts. “But honestly, I think (Jones Jr.) has a good stroke. I like his mechanics, I think the ball comes off his hands well. It wouldn’t surprise me if he has a career year shooting the ball here.”

After one preseason game, one gets the sense that Giles might be in line for the best season of his career as well. With both Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins sitting out, Giles received plenty of minutes going up against his former team, and certainly made the most of them.

The 6-11 forward in his third season out of Duke looked every bit like the player who was ranked as one of the best in his high school class, going 8-of-13 from the field for 18 points to go with 14 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist in 25 minutes. He capped his performance with a breakaway windmill dunk in the fourth quarter quick surely would have brought the Moda Center to hysterics had fans been in attendance.

“The offense looked great,” said Giles. “We haven’t been running too much stuff because it’s three days in. Just trying to get some flow, play basketball. This team’s good, there’s a lot of good guys on this team, so everybody knows how to play basketball and just have fun with each other. Even from the first day of practice I realized this ball is moving.”

Efficient, high-power offense has been a hallmark of the Trail Blazers under Terry Stotts, though their main goal going into training camp was to improve their defense, which ranked as one of the worst in the NBA last season. And on that front, they managed to hold the Kings to 37 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent shooting from three while also forcing 17 turnovers.

“I thought after a tough start defensively, I liked the way we were kind of locked in on the things that we had been talking about,” said Stotts. “We just had three days of practice, but I thought everybody was kind of locked in on what we were trying to do from a team standpoint. The last three quarters defensively were really good. They took a lot of threes, that a little concerning because that was one of our Achilles heels last year, but I really thought we made good progress after just three days in what we’re trying to do defensively.”

Anthony led the Blazers with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go with four rebounds, two assists and a block in 23 minutes. Gary Trent Jr came off the bench to shoot 6-of-13 from the field to match Giles with 18 points.

CJ McCollum went 7-of-16 from the field for 18 points and five assists in just under 20 minutes. Damian Lillard breezed his way to 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from three while also handing out five assists.

Covington added nine points, eight rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in his first game, albeit preseason, as a Blazer.

The Kings had three players finish in double figured led by 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting from Buddy Hield.

With their first preseason game in the books, the Trail Blazers now look to Sunday, when they’ll once again host the Kings in the second exhibition for both teams this year at the Moda Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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Portland's Potential On Display In Preseason Victory Versus Kings

Despite 21 points from CJ McCollum and a double-double from Jusuf Nurkić, the Portland Trail Blazers fell 110-104 to the Toronto Raptors Sunday afternoon at the VISA Athletic Center on the ESPN Wild World of Sports campus on the grounds of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

The Trail Blazers have now lost the first two scrimmages in a three-scrimmage schedule leading up to the official restart of the 2019-20 NBA season.

With both Nurkić and Zach Collins making it through their first scrimmage with no issue after long layoffs and Hassan Whiteside returning to action after nursing a sore left Achilles, Sunday’s scrimmage was supposed to be the first time the Trail Blazers have had their full complement of players available this season, let alone in Orlando.

However, with Damian Lillard sitting out due to a sore left foot, leaving CJ McCollum to slide over to point guard and Gary Trent Jr. to start at the two alongside Carmelo Anthony, Nurkić and Whiteside, the entire Trail Blazers roster being at the ready would have to wait for another day.

But while Sunday’s scrimmage didn’t feature the Trail Blazers at full strength, it did provide an opportunity to see Nurkić and Whiteside starting in a “twin towers” lineup, a duo the team has talked about employing since the start of the Orlando training camp.

“I thought they played well,” said head coach Terry Stotts of Nurkić and Whiteside. “I thought the team played well when they were together. We got off to a slow start in the third quarter -- I think that’s probably more a team thing than those two guys together -- but it’s obviously something that we’re going to continue to look at.”

Without Lillard, who is likely to play significant minutes during Portland’s eight-game restart that, for all intents and purposes, is an eight-game playoff, on the floor to run the show, it’s hard to take too much from Sunday’s performance. With any luck, Stotts will have Lillard, Whiteside and the rest of the team available for their final scrimmage versus the Thunder on Tuesday. But according to the players, all that matters is who is available for the July 31 restart opener versus the Grizzlies.

Said McCollum: “As long as we’re healthy, we got action.”

The 6-4 Lehigh grad led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go with five assists, two rebounds and two steals in just under 25 minutes.

Nurkić, despite playing in just his second competitive competition since breaking his left leg in two places 16 months ago, looked no worse for wear Sunday afternoon, finishing with 17 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field, 1-of-5 shooting from three and 8-of-10 shooting from the line, 13 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals in 27 minutes.

Whiteside, who was limited to no more than 20 minutes in Sunday’s scrimmage, finished with six points, five rebounds and two blocks. Zach Collins, also on a 20-minute restriction (he played 21 minutes), came off the bench to relieve Whiteside and finished with seven points, five rebounds, a block and a steal.

Carmelo Anthony added 14 points on 13 shots while also logging five rebounds and two assists. Anfernee Simons pitched in 13 points off the bench.

Serge Ibaka led the Raptors with 19 points and Pascal Siakam contributed 18.

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Blazers Fail To Get Full Squad On The Floor In Scrimmage Loss To Raptors

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