Lillard Averages 22 Points as Rebuilt Blazers Face Lakers

The Portland Trail Blazers entered their Tuesday night game against the Los Angeles Lakers with a 2-0 record. Damian Lillard, who returned to his former franchise after a three-year stint in Milwaukee, played a key role in that early success. He scored 25 points in the season opener and added 19 more in a win over Sacramento. The team will tip off at 10 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

Lillard’s return marks the end of a complicated chapter that began when he requested a trade in the summer of 2023. He joined the Milwaukee Bucks, where he partnered with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The duo played together in only four playoff games and won one. Injuries plagued their postseason runs. Lillard tore his Achilles tendon in 2025 during a second consecutive first-round exit. Shortly after, Milwaukee waived him with two years and $113 million remaining on his contract.

The Blazers moved quickly to sign Lillard in July 2025. He cited the team's immediate interest as the reason he returned. “They knew how I was gonna respond to that,” Lillard told NBC News. “They knew that I wasn't gonna accept the injury and just be done.” He missed the entire 2025-26 season recovering from the injury. Now, he is rejoining a team that made the playoffs without him last year.

Portland’s roster has shifted significantly since Lillard’s departure. The trade to Milwaukee brought in Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija. The subsequent rebuild yielded the draft pick used to select Donovan Clingan. Lillard argues these moves were necessary to build the current squad. “The team that I’m on now couldn’t be formed if I had never left,” he said. “That required me to go.”

First-year head coach Micah Nori is managing a deep backcourt that includes Lillard, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, and Scoot Henderson. Through the first two games, 10 players have appeared in both contests. All but one average at least 12 minutes. No player has averaged more than Avdija’s 30.5 minutes. Lillard is averaging 28.5 minutes per night. Nori even pulled both Lillard and Morant in a late game against Sacramento to deploy additional defenders.

Morant noted the group’s unselfish approach after the win over the Kings. “If we all are unselfish, ego-free and just want the best way .. there shouldn’t be no problems,” he said. Lillard said he does not feel overwhelmed by the responsibility. He expects to play deep into the season and postseason while staying healthy. The Blazers face the Lakers tonight in an early test of their new chemistry.