Damian Lillard scores 25 in his return to Portland and Ja Morant debuts as the Trail Blazers rout the Suns 124-83

Damian Lillard scored 25 points with six 3-pointers Wednesday night in his first regular-season game back with the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland jumped out to a 21-0 lead and routed the Phoenix Suns 124-83 in the season opener.

Ja Morant added 14 points and eight assists in his Trail Blazers debut. Toumani Camara scored 18 and Deni Avdija had 18 points and 10 rebounds after starting through a right ankle injury.

Devin Booker led Phoenix with 23 points in his 12th season with the Suns. Phoenix did not score until free throws with 5:54 left in the first quarter and shot 6 of 31 from 3-point range.

Home after 18 months away

Lillard spent his first 11 NBA seasons in Portland before two years with the Milwaukee Bucks. He tore his Achilles tendon with Milwaukee and signed a three-year, $42 million deal to come back to the Blazers in July 2025. He spent all of last season rehabbing.

The nine-time All-Star got a long standing ovation when he spoke to the Moda Center crowd before tipoff. "It was a lot of love. The fans showed a lot of love," Lillard said. "I think it's no secret the relationship between myself and our fans and the city of Portland."

He also had a message for anyone who doubted him. "I've felt good for months now and I've been saying that," he said. "But I think there's probably some people that might have been skeptical because they hadn't seen me."

A blowout from the start

Lillard, Morant, Avdija and Donovan Clingan all hit 3-pointers during the opening 21-0 burst. Back-to-back 3s from Lillard made it 38-8 and Portland led 72-39 at halftime. The lead reached 52 before new coach Micah Nori pulled his starters early in the fourth quarter.

Morant came to Portland in a trade that sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis. "The guy hasn't played in 18 months and he comes out and delivered the way he did for us," Morant said of Lillard. "Special, man."

Up next

The Blazers visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday. The Suns host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.