Trail Blazers at Suns
Third-year shooting guard C.J. McCollum had the best game of his career
in Portland's opener and is intent on keeping a grasp of his starting
gig. McCollum looks to follow up a career-best 37-point effort when the
Trail Blazers visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday in the first of
back-to-back games between the two clubs.
McCollum averaged 6.3 points over parts of the past two seasons but is now a starter after shooting guard Wesley Matthews departed as a free agent in the offseason. "It feels good man, like a caged animal ready to be unleashed," McCollum said after making six 3-pointers during the 112-94 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. "The basket continues to get bigger and bigger and you continue to gain confidence." McCollum is one of four new starters for the Trail Blazers after an offseason revamping prompted by the free-agency loss of star forward LaMarcus Aldridge to the San Antonio Spurs. Phoenix suffered a 111-95 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in its opener and center Tyson Chandler summed the defeat up this way: "I think everybody from top to bottom can take a piece of this loss."
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), FSN Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (1-0): Point guard Damian Lillard is the only holdover starter and he started the season strong with 21 points and 11 assists. The fourth-year pro is now the lead option for Portland with Aldridge gone and he inked a five-year, $120 million extension during the summer. "We've got a team where we need everybody to produce, we need everybody to chip in and bring something to the table," Lillard told reporters. "That's also something that could be a strength of ours now that hasn't so much been in the past. We've got a lot of guys that can come in and do things to help."
ABOUT THE SUNS (0-1): First-round pick Devin Booker had 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench in his NBA debut. The former Kentucky backup guard is known for his outside shooting but coach Jeff Hornacek said after Wednesday's game that Booker has a long way to go on the defensive end. "I think he got back-doored on one and that's when a veteran says, 'I got a rookie and I'm going to pick on him,'" Hornacek said. "That's how you learn. Overall, for the first game, I thought he played pretty well."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Trail Blazers won three of last season's four meetings.
2. Phoenix PF Markieff Morris had more fouls (five) than points (four) in the season-opening loss.
3. Backup PF Ed Davis had 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in his Portland debut.