The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Golden State Warriors 123-118 on Wednesday at the Moda Center, with Damian Lillard making his return from Achilles injury as the Blazers opened the preseason with a victory.
Lillard started for Portland and played 19 minutes, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting. He made three of his eight three-point attempts, went 2-of-2 from the free-throw line and added one rebound, one assist and two steals.
Lillard scored 12 points in the first quarter, including two three-pointers, as Portland took a 36-31 lead after 12 minutes. He also connected with Deni Avdija for a three-pointer during the opening period.
Avdija led Portland with 23 points, shooting 9-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. He added two rebounds and two assists, while Ja Morant scored eight points and dished out five assists in 19 minutes.
Portland led 57-50 at halftime before Golden State rallied in the third quarter. The Warriors outscored the Blazers 36-29 in the period and entered the fourth quarter tied at 86.
The Blazers regained control in the final period, outscoring Golden State 37-32. Jeremy Sochan scored 10 points in nine minutes, making all four of his field-goal attempts, including both three-point attempts.
Micah Potter added 13 points and six rebounds, while Robert Williams III finished with eight points, five rebounds and five blocks in 14 minutes. Yang Hansen contributed six points and four assists.
Dalen Terry led the Warriors with 23 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and four steals in 43 minutes. He shot 9-of-18 from the field and made 4-of-5 three-point attempts.
Miles Kelly scored 24 points off the bench on 8-of-16 shooting, including 6-of-11 from three-point range. Will Richard added 15 points, while Charles Bassey recorded 13 points, six rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
Golden State shot 48% from the field and 56% from three-point range, but Portland held a 50-40 rebounding advantage. The Blazers also finished with 34 assists compared with 26 for the Warriors.
Portland improved to 1-0 in the preseason, while Golden State dropped to 1-2. The result also marked Lillard’s first preseason appearance for the franchise since returning to Portland.
