The Portland Trail Blazers' game on Wednesday couldn't have gone any better. In a matchup at home against Phoenix, the Blazers routed the Suns 124-83. Damian Lillard scored 25 points in his first regular-season game back in a Blazers uniform, going 6-of-10 from 3-point range. Ja Morant, making his Portland debut, finished with 14 points and eight assists. Toumani Camara added 18 points, and Deni Avdija had 10 rebounds.
Portland fans have long wished for a Lillard step-back 3-pointer from way deep, and they finally got to see it. It was a storybook-like game for Portland.
Tonight, the Blazers face their first road test of the season against a Sacramento Kings squad that is still trying to figure out its identity.
For the Blazers, their ball movement led them to success. They assisted on all 13 of their first-quarter baskets and finished with 32 assists, a number they reached only five times last season.
Sacramento had the opposite experience.
The Kings fell 121-96 in Los Angeles against the Clippers. They shot just 29% from behind the arc and an abysmal 57% from the free-throw line.
Zach LaVine scored 28 points on 19 shot attempts. Domantas Sabonis flirted with a triple-double, scoring 14 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and recording eight dimes.
The story of the Kings' performance fell to their rookie, Darius Acuff Jr. Last season with Arkansas, Acuff was known for taking over games with his shot creation, scoring at all three levels.
Wednesday, the basket looked like Mars to Acuff. He went 5-for-24 from the field with four turnovers in 35 minutes.
After Thursday's practice, Acuff told reporters that he has to be better at letting the game come to him and creating more offense by passing the ball more.
Lillard and Morant gave Portland two creators who could both get to their spots against Phoenix. Sacramento's backcourt is built around a veteran LaVine and a rookie trying to bounce back from his debut performance. Look for the Blazers to come out with high energy and try to jump on Sacramento early.
Sabonis will try to carry the load after his gritty stat line on Wednesday. The Kings are also short on frontcourt help, with Maxime Raynaud sidelined with a knee injury. Donovan Clingan will more than likely take on the duty of covering Sabonis.
Portland plays 12 of its first 17 games on the road. While the Kings are at the bottom of the totem pole in the league, every road game matters. No matter the team, any road win is a great win.
The season is one game old, but the Kings don't want to let the fans down in their first home game of the 2026-27 season.
The teams meet again on Nov. 13 in Sacramento. It will be the second game of group play in the NBA Cup for Portland.