Damian Lillard drops 25 points in Trail Blazers return, leads historic 41-point rout over Suns in season opener

· Yahoo Sports

It may be a long season for Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns.

They opened the 2026-27 campaign in perhaps the worst possible way on Wednesday night at the Moda Center, and couldn't do anything to slow down Damian Lillard in his official return to the floor for the Trail Blazers. Portland, after a historic opening half, rolled to a blowout 124-83 win over the Suns to kick off the season. 

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Lillard dropped 25 points and went 6 of 10 from behind the arc in his official return to Portland. The longtime former Trail Blazers star signed a three-year deal to return to the franchise, but he missed all of last season recovering from an Achilles injury he suffered when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.

It was bad for Phoenix from the jump, too. The Trail Blazers opened the game on a 21-0 run, which marked the largest run to start a game anywhere in the league over the past 25 seasons, according to OptaStats. Both Booker and new Trail Blazers star Ja Morant got into it briefly on the floor. Both guys were separated pretty quickly, but they each received a technical foul.

It didn't get any better, either. The Trail Blazers took a 43-12 lead by the end of the first quarter, and held the Suns to just 4-of-20 shooting in the opening period. They made only a single shot through the first nine minutes, too. 

Lillard made the most of his return, too. He dropped 12 points in the opening quarter and hit a trio of 3-pointers, including one from the Moda Center logo. 

The second quarter was better for Phoenix, though not by much. The Trail Blazers ended up taking a 33-point lead into the break, which marked the largest halftime lead of a season-opener in franchise history. 

Lillard had 17 of his 25 points at halftime. Booker, with 10, was the only Suns player in double figures entering the locker room.

The Trail Blazers didn't let up, either. They pushed their lead to 41 points by the end of the third, thanks in part to a huge step-back 3-pointer from Lillard in the final minute of the period. It was his sixth 3-pointer of the night. 

By then, Portland simply held on the rest of the way to grab the 41-point win. It marked the team's first opening-night win since 2022, and the third-largest win to open a season in team history.

Booker led the Suns with 23 points while shooting 7 of 13 from the field. Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green each added 10 points, and were the only other Suns players to hit double figures.

Deni Avdija added 18 points and 10 rebounds to go with Lillard's 25-point outing. Toumani Camara also had 18 points, and Morant — who was dealt to the Trail Blazers by the Grizzlies earlier this offseason — finished with 14 points and eight assists.

While he's nearing the end of his career, Lillard is clearly back to full strength and ready for his second run in Portland.

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