The morning after: Blazers open season with 115-108 win at Sacramento

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 19, 2022

When the Portland Trail Blazers fell down in the second quarter, Jerami Grant, Josh Hart and Justise Winslow answered the bell in the second half in Portland’s 115-108 season-opening win at Sacramento.

Not only did they combine for 40 points in the second half, but their energy and effort on defense and the glass gave the Blazers a much-needed spark after looking gassed at times trying to slow down De’Aaron Fox, who finished with 33 points.

The first quarter was a bit of a surprise with the Blazers playing up and down and forcing plenty of turnovers on the defensive end.

Shaedon Sharpe came off the bench and scored nine points in nine minutes to get his first taste of real NBA action. Portland led 32-23 at the first horn.

However, the defense went to sleep in the second frame as Sacramento outscored Portland 32-19. Fox took advantage of a tired Blazers lineup and went into the half with 18 points.

Lillard hit only one three and was more of a distributor, picking up six assists and 11 points.

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The most recent trade acquisitions showed up the largest in the third quarter with Hart, Grant and Winslow all going to work. The trio provided plenty of energy, along with 27 of the Blazers 33 points, to tie the game up at 84 going into the fourth.

Jusuf Nurkic started the fourth quarter, but a tough night led head coach Chauncey Billups to close with a small-ball lineup of Winslow-Grant-Hart-Lillard-Simons. Winslow played his part, locking down the much taller Domantas Sabonis and giving Hart and Grant a chance to win the game on offense.

Grant had a sequence with Portland down one where he took a charge on Fox, then completed a big and-one to put Portland up 108-106. Another stop, and this time it was Hart completing the and-one to give the Blazers a 111-106 lead with only 22 seconds to go.

And not to be forgotten was Anfernee Simons, finishing with 22 points. He hit a couple huge 3-pointers in the final frame to help keep pace with the Kings who got 23 points from Kevin Huerter and his six made 3-pointers.

Grant finished with a team-high 23 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Hart had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Lillard still finished with 20 points despite a 5 for 18 shooting night, also dishing out eight assists.

Three standout stats

Scoring spread: Lillard will need some help, as any superstar does, and the first night showed who might be stepping up to do it this season. Grant and Hart both played a big second half with 15 points for Hart and 14 for Grant. Winslow scored all 11 of his points in the second and Simons chipped in 12 as well. Dame Time is a scary time, but it can’t happen every night. One game in, the versatility Billups talked about in the offseason showed up in a big way.

Turnovers: Nothing too crazy here as Portland won the turnover battle 15-11. It’s not a huge margin, but for a team looking to improve defensively this season, the turnovers will be important to watch on a nightly basis. Portland had 11 steals on those 15 turnovers as well, creating a little havoc in the lanes.

Winslow a big plus: Winslow was an astounding +21 in the plus/minus, by far the biggest impact on the stat sheet for the game. He had eight rebounds and a steal to go with his 11 points, but more importantly, he gave the Blazers big defensive stops late in the game and provided timely buckets on smart cuts.

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Game 1 Grade

B+

Grant, Hart and Winslow saved the day with their effort play to get Portland over the top. Billups talked this offseason about how versatile guys like that trio help provide different closing looks, and he went with a small-ball five to close this one and it worked.

Now just imagine how much energy this team will play with when Gary Payton II returns from his abdominal recovery.

Lillard didn’t have the most memorable night, playing his first game since last December. But what’s important is he turned into a facilitator for the guys who did have it, picking up eight assists.

What keeps this game from an A was that second quarter where the Blazers fell asleep on both sides. And Nurkic’s play was not too inspiring, finishing with eight points and seven rebounds on 3 for 9 shooting.

One night in, you can see the growing pains in the second quarter, but at the same time, the versatility of last year’s trade acquisitions plus Grant shows what’s going to be different about this Portland squad. They’re going to play a full 48 behind these energy guys, and that’s something Blazers fans should be excited about.