Lillard Returns as Trail Blazers Begin Preseason Against Warriors
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
The Portland Trail Blazers, including Deni Avdija, begin their preseason against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday at 5:00 AM. The game could feature the return of Damian Lillard, who has not played since April 2025. New coach Mikey Neury plans to manage minutes and experiment with lineups, including potentially starting Lillard and Ja Morant together. The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry and other key players due to playing the previous night.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers start their preseason against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
- Damian Lillard is expected to play for the Trail Blazers for the first time since March 2023.
- The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, and Jalen Suggs.
- Coach Mikey Neury will experiment with starting lineups, possibly pairing Lillard and Ja Morant.
- Deni Avdija wants to play as much as possible but acknowledges smart minute management.
- Ja Morant is open to coming off the bench, but Neury is unsure of his internal reaction.
The Portland Trail Blazers, featuring Israeli player Deni Avdija, are set to begin their preseason on Thursday at 5:00 AM against the Golden State Warriors. This game may mark the return of Damian Lillard to the court for the first time since April 27, 2025, when he tore his Achilles. Lillard, the Trail Blazers' all-time leading scorer, will be playing for the team for the first time since March 22, 2023.
New head coach Mikey Neury is expected to manage player minutes carefully throughout the preseason, potentially resting key players. While there is no official confirmation, Lillard and new acquisition Ja Morant are expected to play, provided they are healthy. The Trail Blazers' preseason schedule includes games against Golden State on October 8 and 17, London Lions on October 12, and Sacramento on October 14.
Avdija expressed his desire to play as much as possible to prepare for the upcoming 82-game season but acknowledged the need for smart minute management. "We want to get back into shape and not go crazy," he stated.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, and Jalen Suggs for their matchup against Portland. This decision follows their dominant 124-98 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers earlier that day, where Curry scored 16 points in just 14 minutes.
A major question for the Trail Blazers this season is their starting lineup. Neury has indicated he will experiment with different combinations over the four preseason games. Regarding a potential backcourt of Lillard and Morant, Neury noted analytical arguments against starting both due to their size and defensive limitations, suggesting Jerami Grant as a more ideal starting guard. However, Neury plans to start Lillard and Morant in the first game against the Warriors to evaluate their chemistry. Both Lillard and Morant have historically been starters, though Morant expressed openness to coming off the bench. Neury is uncertain how Morant would internally handle such a role.
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