Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener

The Portland Trail Blazers took down LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in their 2018-19 season opener. Here are three takeaways from their victory.

Rip City rejoice! The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 128-119 in their nationally-televised season opener Thursday night. The win was historic in a number of ways. It was their 18th consecutive home-opening victory — the longest such streak in NBA history — and their ninth season-opening win in the last 10 years.

It was also their 16th consecutive win over the Lakers, their second-longest streak over an opponent in franchise history. The record is 17 games, which they held over the Los Angeles Clippers from 1986-89. The Blazers actually have the chance to tie and break the record within the next four weeks. Portland will play the Lakers again on Nov. 3 (in Portland) and Nov. 14 (in Los Angeles).

This was also the team’s first game following the passing of team owner Paul Allen. Allen lost his battle with cancer on Monday. He was 65 years old. The organization honored him by placing a white “Rip City” baseball cap and a rose on the baseline seat where he normally watched games. During the pregame, a light shone down on the seat while a moment of silence was held.

The Blazers also debuted a memorial jersey patch that they will wear this season. It features the initials “PGA” with a rose next to it.

Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with a game-high 28 points. He did so despite shooting 2-for-7 from 3-point range. Nik Stauskas had a much better night from beyond the arc. He finished with 24 points in his official Blazers debut, knocking down five of his eight 3-point attempts. CJ McCollum added 21 points, Jusuf Nurkic had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Evan Turner pitched in 13 points and six assists.

The Portland Trail Blazers opened up the season with an emotional win on national TV over a conference foe. Here are three takeaways from the big game.