SEATTLE – The Portland Trail Blazers played their first preseason game Friday night at Climate Pledge Arena and lost 101-99 to the LA Clippers.

The winning basket for the Clippers came on an alley-oop dunk by Kai Jones on a pass from Jordan Miller with 2.2 seconds on the clock. Blazers guard Dalana Banton missed a three-point attempt as time expired.

The thrilling end added to the atmosphere that more resembled a playoff game. Many Seattle sports legends were in attendance to welcome the NBA back to Seattle, even if just for one night – for now.

Former Supersonics legends Sean Kemp, Gary Payton, and Jamal Crawford were on hand. So were a handful of famous former Seahawks, including coach Pete Carroll. Former Blazers star Brandon Roy, from Seattle, was also on hand.

They were all there to watch the Blazers take on the LA Clippers. One team doesn’t have much hope for the upcoming season, while the other could get into the playoff mix.

For the Blazers, the night was about testing what they worked on during training camp. Rebounding and pace were at the top of the list.

Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said his team was a bit antsy to play an opponent after nearly two weeks of training camp, which might have caused the Blazers not to play their best.

“I thought we struggled,” Billups said. “I thought their physicality early in the game had an impact on us. We turned it over early. And even when we didn’t turn it over, we just weren’t clean at all … But it was good to get out there and get one in.”

The Blazers committed nine turnovers in the first half and 17 for the game, which the Clippers converted into 23 points.

Also important all season long will be the play of second-year guard Scoot Henderson and rookie center Donovan Clingan.

Henderson closely resembled the player he was for most of last season when he struggled after being selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA draft.

Henderson committed two turnovers within the game’s first minute and ended the night with seven in 30 minutes. He went on to score 13 points while shooting 4 of 16 from the field and 1 of 6 on three-pointers. Henderson also added three assists and three rebounds.

Rookie center Donovan Clingan made his first shot, a three-pointer from straight away. He ended the game with seven points and five rebounds in 19 minutes. He backed up Deandre Ayton, who, in 17 minutes, put up eight points and seven rebounds.

Jerami Grant scored 15 points in just 16 minutes. Toumani Camara led the Blazers with 19 points. He shot 5 of 9 from the field and added nine rebounds.

WHAT IT MEANS

The Blazes were down Shaedon Sharpe (shoulder) and Anfernee Simons (ankle soreness). That’s a lot of offensive firepower to play without. Also, forward Deni Avdija sat out for personal reasons.

That the Blazers had a chance to win says a lot about the rest of the roster.

Kris Murray started at guard and delivered nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.

PACESETTERS

The Blazers want to play faster this season than in 2023-24 when they ranked 21st at 97.9 possessions per 48 minutes. On Friday, the Blazers had a 102.2 pace.

“Not great, but I thought their full-court pressure kind of impacted that,” Billups said. “And then also, their offensive rebounding really hurt us.”

The Clippers converted 10 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points. Overall, Portland outrebounded the Clippers 47-43.

NEXT UP

The Blazers play their second preseason game at 3 p.m., Sunday at the Sacramento Kings.

— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)

On Tuesday, King County and Seattle city leaders came together for the groundbreaking for the ninth RapidRide line for King County Metro.

The RapidRide J Line will connect Seattle neighborhoods with more reliable transportation.

The project is a partnership between the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and King County Metro.

“The RapidRide J Line will open up opportunities for more people to use public transit, making it even easier to get around our region,” said Executive Constantine. “Today, we celebrate the next step in expanding our RapidRide system, which connects communities from Burien to Bellevue, Ballard to Federal Way, and Madison Valley to the West Seattle Junction.”

The $128.5 million project will be funded through local, state, and federal grants and funds. The University of Washington will contribute $6 million and Seattle Public Utilities plans to invest in infrastructure upgrades.

“Transit riders can look forward to a major upgrade with the RapidRide J Line, and this project will also include improvements to everyone who uses our streets and sidewalks,” said Mayor Harrell. “The J Line will strengthen vital neighborhood connections and help people access opportunity to learn, to work, and to experience all that Seattle has to offer.”

The project will include:

• 15,130 feet of repaired sidewalks, making walking safer and more comfortable.

• 2 miles of repaved streets, ensuring smoother rides for all travelers.

• 3.7 miles of protected bike lanes, promoting safer and more predictable cycling.

• 2 miles of dedicated bus priority lanes, enhancing bus travel reliability.

• 177 improved crosswalks, increasing pedestrian safety when crossing the street.

• 131 upgraded curb ramps, making it easier and safer for people of all abilities to get around neighborhoods and to bus stations

• 33 intersections equipped with new traffic signals, improving traffic flow.

• 190 newly planted trees, contributing to urban greening.

• 8,900 feet of replaced water main, ensuring reliable utility services.

The RapidRide J Line is expected to start in 2027 and will connect the University District, Eastlake, South Lake Union, and Belltown neighborhoods.

SEATTLE, Wash. – For a few brief moments, Geno Smith looked ready to slay his demons against the San Francisco 49ers, opening a promising first drive for the Seattle Seahawks by connecting with DK Metcalf on a crossing route for a 30-yard completion down to the opposing 30-yard line.

But only a few plays later, with standout rusher Nick Bosa blasting him as he threw, Smith’s third down pass to Tyler Lockett on a corner route sailed over the receiver’s head and into the hands of rookie safety Malik Mustapha at the one-yard line, abruptly ending the drive without any points. Up until the final minute of the first half, the Seahawks wouldn’t even make it back into 49ers territory, punting three times and losing a possession thanks to a special teams fumble by Laviska Shenault.

Going into the locker room trailing 16-3, Seattle’s offense failed to produce more than seven points in the first two quarters for the third consecutive game, including Smith underthrowing on a deep ball to Metcalf that easily could have resulted in six points. Despite a valiant comeback effort, those struggles and missed chances put the team too far behind the eight ball in an eventual 36-24 defeat on Thursday Night Football, dropping the team to 3-3 after winning their first three games under coach Mike Macdonald.

Brusque with reporters after Thursday’s loss, a frustrated Smith pointed to poor execution for Seattle’s chronic slow starts, as the team has been hurt by a mostly ineffective run game, drive-killing penalties, and far too many turnovers.

“Not starting fast. Not executing. That’s the main thing, not executing. Lack of execution. This is a game of inches as they say,” Smith said. “The margins are small, especially up here at the big boy league. You got to do all the right things all the time. We failed to do that today.”

Starting at a snail’s pace has become an unfortunate theme for Smith and the Seahawks, who have been outscored 47-20 in the first half during their three-game skid. Making the numbers look even worse, seven of those points came on a 102-yard fumble return by safety Rayshawn Jenkins, meaning the offense has contributed a mere 13 total points against the Lions, Giants, and 49ers.

As has been the case for the better part of a month, the Seahawks eventually found traction in the second half against the 49ers as Smith led a 13-play, 94-yard drive that culminated in a Ken Walker III touchdown run to cut the deficit to 23-17 late in the third quarter. The quarterback also threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Lockett late in the fourth quarter, but that came after a critical interception targeting Metcalf on the previous drive, leading to a quick San Francisco touchdown with short field.

For a third straight game, turnovers led to Seattle’s undoing more than anything. Metcalf lost fumbles against Detroit and New York that led to opposing scoring drives and on Thursday, Smith’s two picks resulted in 10 points for San Francisco and Shenault’s special teams fumble tacked on another three points. Losing by 12 on the scoreboard, erasing those miscues could have led to a dramatically different outcome, but self-inflicted wounds continue to derail Macdonald’s squad.

“Obviously we’re not emphasizing it enough,” Macdonald said of Seattle’s turnover problems. “That’s the starting point. The guys know that. I mean, add that to the list of things we have to attack. But we can’t be giving the ball to the other team. We have to be playing more precise.”

Unfortunately, Macdonald and his staff don’t have to get back to the drawing board on offense and special teams only. Heading into a mini bye before a Week 7 road clash with the Falcons, with Jenkins’ fumble return being the lone exception, the Seahawks’ defense hasn’t been much better starting games as of late either.

Playing without Byron Murphy II, Leonard Williams, Boye Mafe, and others during the course of their three-game losing streak, injuries have been part of the equation. But just like on offense, execution-related issues have been the biggest problem, starting with second level run fit issues that have cropped up far too often and led to big runs for the opposition.

One week earlier, sixth-round pick Tyrone Tracy rushed for 48 yards on just six carries in the first half on his way to his first career 100-yard performance for the Giants, capitalizing on several plays where the Seahawks left a gap wide open enough for a semi truck to drive through. This ugly trend continued into Thursday night as Jordan Mason exploded through the B-gap with linebacker Tyrel Dodson consumed by a block at the second level and ripping off a 37-yard run on the 49ers opening possession to set up a Matthew Wright field goal.

San Francisco ended up rushing for 105 yards in the first half and also scored a 76-yard touchdown when safety Julian Love couldn’t make a play on an underthrown ball from Brock Purdy to Deebo Samuel, allowing the receiver to take off for nearly 50 yards after the catch on a blown coverage. It marked the third straight game Macdonald’s defense allowed at least 225 yards of total offense in the first half, and things didn’t improve out of the halftime break in any of those games either, as Seattle allowed four touchdowns and a field goal in the third quarter of those contests.

“These drives get strung out together because we just aren’t disciplined enough, consistently,” Love remarked. “We have the players, we have the scheme, we have the right mindset. It’s just cleaning it up. We have to attack this week. It’s a long season ahead of us.”

Asked about the issues giving up long drives to open both halves, Macdonald doesn’t think the poor results have happened because the Seahawks haven’t been ready to play. Instead, he pointed to himself and the coaching staff, admitting they need to do a better job of preparing their players and putting them in a position to execute at a higher level out of the gate.

“I don’t think we’re flat,” Macdonald responded. “Teams have openers and you have to stop those openers. That’s just what it is. That’s a combination of understanding how teams are attacking you, how that’s evolving, and keep putting them in better position to make plays and our guys have got to go make the plays. Our guys are ready to play.”

For the Seahawks to turn their season around, players and coaches will have to do some soul searching during a three-day break before kicking off preparations for the Falcons next week. From going back to the drawing board with ball security drills to revisiting how they are attacking game planning during the week, they will need to find tangible solutions quickly to avoid the slow starts that ultimately have doomed them over the past three weeks.

As far as Lockett is concerned, all options should be on the table, even if Seattle needs to open games thinking they already are behind on the scoreboard as a means to coax better first half performance out of the offense. With plenty of football left to play ahead of them, regardless of what measures it takes to get the unit playing at its best early in games, he’s confident the team will be able to figure things out and help get them back on the winning track.

“We just got to be able to figure out what is it going to take for us to be able to play in the first half the way that we do in the second half, and if that means we got to play catch up, then hey, let’s get that mentality where at the beginning of the game we’re already losing if that’s what it takes for us to be able to play at the high level. I don’t know. I think for us, it’s just going back to the drawing board and being able to look at what happens in order for us to be able to play it our best. Are we overthinking it? Are we over-energized? What is it? Because sometimes, when you’re down, you don’t overthink, right? You’re not over-energized. Sometimes, you just have to breathe.”