----- Jerami Grant finished with 23 points and eight rebounds and Anfernee Simons added 22 points as the Portland Trail Blazers topped the Sacramento Kings 115-108 in their season opener.
Perfect start to a new season for the Portland Trail Blazers!
Jerami Grant scored a team-high 23 points and Damian Lillard finished with 20 points and eight assists as the Portland Trail Blazers won their season opener 115-108 over the Kings Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The win came on a night when Lillard didn't have his best stuff. He finished the night just 5-of-18 from the field including an abysmal 1-for-8 from beyond-the-arc, but Lillard had plenty of help from his teammates.
Anfernee Simons scored 22 points, Josh Hart finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, and Justise Winslow added 11 points and eight rebounds including some tough defense in the fourth quarter when Coach Billups took control of the game with his small-ball lineup.
''I just like to play the game the way that the game should be played,'' coach Chauncey Billups said. ''We have a generational guy in Dame. He's going to have his nights. We got to have other guys be there when it's actually not his night and you can actually go win a game or go steal a game. That's exactly what happened tonight.''
The biggest surprise on the night was the play of rookie Shaedon Sharpe. He finished the night with 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting including 3-of-3 from three-point range in 16 minutes of action. This could be an indication that Sharpe will get the bulk of the minutes off-the-bench until Gary Payton II returns to the lineup.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers return to Portland for their home opener against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Perfect night for the Blazers. Jerami Grant led the way with 23 points, Simons added 22, and Shaedon Sharpe looked great in his debut with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting including 3-of-3 from three-point range. On a side note- would be nice if Nurkic learned how to go up strong around the rim.