Phoenix’s Opener Raised a Bigger Question Than the Center Rotation

The Phoenix Suns’ first points arrived with 5:54 remaining in the opening quarter, when Devin Booker converted two free throws. Portland already had 21 points. Portland won 124-83, and the regular-season opener had stopped being a useful laboratory for center combinations. It had become an inquiry into whether Phoenix could manage the basic demands of a basketball game.

The Trail Blazers led 43-12 after one quarter, 72-39 at halftime and 107-66 after three. A deficit that grows in those stages cannot sensibly be assigned to Khaman Maluach’s presence in the starting lineup. The center discussion can wait until the Suns give themselves a normal game in which to have it.

Maluach started, while Ighodaro entered from the bench. That gives Phoenix one actual starting combination to evaluate, rather than a preseason prediction. The second-year center played 17 minutes, finishing with two points, six rebounds, one assist and one block.

Oso Ighodaro came off the bench and supplied eight points, three rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes. Those are relevant pieces for future choices. They are not an explanation for a 21-0 beginning.

Portland’s opening sequence made the problem look larger than a single matchup. Donovan Clingan began the scoring with a 24-foot 3-pointer, Deni Avdija followed with a pull-up jumper, and Ja Morant and Damian Lillard added long-range makes. Lillard’s 26-footer pushed the run to 14-0. Avdija’s two free throws completed Portland’s first 21 points before Booker finally put Phoenix on the board.

That start mattered because Portland did not need one player to carry it. Lillard finished with 25 points, six assists and six 3-pointers. Morant added 14 points and eight assists. Avdija scored 18 while collecting 10 rebounds, and Toumani Camara also reached 18 points. The Blazers made 19 of 47 3-point attempts, with six belonging to Lillard, and finished with 32 assists. Phoenix had 14.

The contrast was not merely cosmetic. Portland moved the ball and found several sources of pressure while Phoenix struggled to turn possessions into reliable offense. The Blazers also won the rebounding count 56-39, including 16 offensive boards.

That gave a team already ahead more chances to keep the game tilted. The opening avalanche was followed by sustained control, rather than a brief burst that Phoenix nearly erased.

Booker was the genuine positive. He scored 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting, made all nine of his free throws and collected four rebounds. His efficiency stood out in an offense that finished 30-for-84 from the field.

But Booker’s night was individual production, not a rescue mission. Phoenix made only 6 of 32 3-point attempts, and the Suns never found enough shooting or connection around their leading scorer to make Portland reconsider the evening.

The supporting numbers underline why the center debate is premature. Miles Bridges scored eight points while going 3-for-11 and missing all five of his 3-point tries. Jalen Green had 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting.

Collin Gillespie went scoreless and missed all eight of his 3-point attempts. Those performances do not make any one player the sole culprit, but they do make it difficult to argue that a different starting center would have repaired the larger failure.

There is a fair counterpoint: this was one game, and Portland’s perimeter shooting helped turn a bad start into an enormous margin. The Blazers also committed 17 turnovers, so their performance was not pristine. Phoenix’s 10 steals and six blocks show that every part of the effort was not empty. Still, those details temper the judgment; they do not overturn it.

Phoenix will have further lineup choices to make, including how to use Maluach and Ighodaro. No new starting decision has been announced. First, Phoenix needs an ordinary opening: competitive possessions, enough passing to create cleaner offense and a defense that does not allow the opponent to build a 21-0 lead before the night has properly begun.

Sources

NBA: official box score

Associated Press: game report via ESPN