PORTLAND — The day Rip City fans have eagerly anticipated is finally here. After a buzzing summer filled with headlines, the Portland Trail Blazers are set to begin their regular season tonight against the Phoenix Suns at the Moda Center.
The time to tweak lineups is sure to arrive at some point, but it's likely that first-year head coach Micah Nori decides to roll with the same starting unit from the Blazers' final preseason game against the Warriors: Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan.
Off the bench, don't be surprised if Nori spreads the minutes around and opts for a 10-man rotation. Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, Robert Williams III and Vit Krejci are givens, with Yang Hansen likely to make an appearance as well.
The Suns, meanwhile, are probable to start Jalen Green, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges and Oso Ighodaro. Nori noted the additions of Bridges and sharpshooter Luke Kennard at practice on Tuesday.
"They're going to provide a lot of ball pressure, especially with that second unit with (Collin) Gillespie and with (Jordan) Goodwin, and it's going to be a good test for us because they are a team that crashes the offensive glass," Nori said. "We're going to have to rebound and we have to take care of (the ball). So it's a great first test, and I'm sure there's going to be a lot of good tests in the West this year."
Size disadvantage
As will be the case against most opponents for Portland this year, the Suns — who finished 45-37 last year in the regular season before losing to Portland in the NBA Play-In Tournament, ultimately falling to the eighth seed — outsize the Blazers, most prominently on the perimeter.
Green and Booker aren't renown defenders, so they should pose little threat to Morant and Lillard. Offensively, however, they are a handful, especially Booker. Clingan and Robert Williams III will have to meet them at the rim. If Morant and Lillard can't stay in front of them, the least they can do is funnel them to their anchors inside.
But Morant and Lillard shouldn't be tasked to defend either guy for much run. That's a recipe for disaster and setting the guys up for failure. A mixture of Holiday, Camara, Cissoko and Henderson ought to provide decent reinforcement.
Gillespie, Kennard and Goodwin are the main scoring threats off the bench for Phoenix, while 7-foot-1 Khaman Maluach offers great size inside and 6-foot-7 Ryan Dunn provides optimal length.
Injury Report
Three Blazers are officially ruled out as of Wednesday morning. Branden Carlson is out due to concussion protocol, Shaedon Sharpe is out with his torn right meniscus and Chris Youngblood is out with left ankle soreness.
Two players are currently listed as questionable. Avdija has right ankle soreness and Micah Potter is dealing with an illness.
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