Trail Blazers lose tight game in front of enthusiastic Seattle NBA fans

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)