RENTON, Wash. – Enduring the first major adversity of his head coaching tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald has lamented his team’s struggles with everything from losing the turnover margin, drawing too many flags, and surrendering too many explosives on defense among other things.

But in the midst of a three-game losing streak, Macdonald hasn’t lost hope or confidence in his team, reiterating on numerous occasions since Thursday’s defeat to the 49ers that he believes in the talent and leadership in the Seahawks’ locker room to carry them through to better days ahead. As for reasons behind his persisting optimism, he has loved the fight and resiliency exhibited by his players clawing back into each of the last three games after slow starts.

“I think in order to be great, it starts with a solid foundation,” Macdonald told reporters on Friday morning. “Probably outside the New York game, the effort and the physicality and the intent of how we’re playing is there. That’s a reason to be optimistic.”

To kick off three games in 10 days, Seattle fell behind 21-7 at halftime to Detroit, but Macdonald’s team fought back to within one score multiple times in the second half with chances to win. Six days later, they nearly erased a 10-point lead in the second half to New York, only for Jason Myers’ game-tying field goal attempt to be blocked by linebacker Isaiah Simmons.

Then on Thursday night, the 49ers looked to be on their way to a prime time laugher when Brock Purdy hooked up with George Kittle for a touchdown to open the second half, extending their lead to 23-3. But receiver Laviska Shenault followed up with a much-needed spark for the Seahawks by returning a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and after making a defensive stop, Ken Walker III scored from a yard out, suddenly making it a six-point game late in the third quarter.

Unfortunately, digging such large holes by playing sloppy football with subpar execution on offense, defense, and special teams created what proved to be insurmountable deficits in all three of those games. Despite their resilient efforts in the second half, they never led in the final two quarters over the past three weeks, a sign of how close and yet still so far they are from getting to where they want to be drawing closer to the midpoint of the season.

With that being said, considering the Seahawks had a chance to win all of those games despite their litany of mistakes in all three phases that put them in an early bind, Macdonald’s faith in his team remains unwavering. Still with 11 games left to play, he’s bullish on players and coaches working in unison to fix the issues that have plagued them in the first six weeks and start playing their best ball as the team they aspire to become.

“We’re going to get there. We’re going to get to the point where we want to be. I think our guys are bought in, and they’re convinced of it. They’re going to be part of the solution, and it’s my job and the coaches’ job to make it come to life. We’re going to be resilient. We’re just going to do it. At some point, it’s going to happen. I hope it’s this week. We’ve got the guys and the resolve to make it come to life.”

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.