# Lillard and Morant return

Sports · Heat 1.5 / 10 · 2 shows · 15m airtime

Damian Lillard and Ja Morant started together for the first time for the Trail Blazers on October 21, 2026, in a win over the Phoenix Suns. Lillard scored 25 points in 24 minutes on 6-of-10 from three; Morant had 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and a plus-33. Early discussion credited Donovan Clingan's screening for opening lanes for both guards. Mark Spears has since reported that Morant will likely come off the bench, and Morant did come off the bench in a preseason game in Sacramento, leaving open how the starting pairing and the bench role fit together.

Page: https://boilpoints.com/point/lillard_and_morant_return_198849659

## Segments

- [The Athletic NBA Daily](https://boilpoints.com/u/theathleticnbadaily), 2026-10-22, 14:08 to 16:16: **Opens with Lillard and Morant's debut**. Opens with the Blazers' backcourt debut: Lillard's 25 points in 24 minutes and Morant's plus-33, then credits Donovan Clingan's screening for unlocking both guards and floats Portland as underrated. New angle: Lillard and Morant started together for the first time, and Clingan's screening opened lanes for both.
- [The Athletic NBA Daily](https://boilpoints.com/u/theathleticnbadaily), 2026-10-22, 39:56 to 41:51: **Adds the report that Morant will come off the bench**. Follows the Lillard return into the Blazers' backcourt logjam: a report that Morant will likely come off the bench, and an assistant's view that playing the two together made no analytical sense. Also flags owner Tom Dundon's arena dispute with the city. New angle: Mark Spears reported Ja Morant will likely come off the bench for Portland.
- [Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective](https://boilpoints.com/u/brianwindhorstthehoopcollective), 2026-10-23, 38:17 to 46:33: **Recaps the opener and Morant's bench role**. Recaps Portland's home opener against Phoenix, where the Lillard-Morant starting pairing opened with a 21-0 first quarter and Lillard hit six threes in his first game in a year and a half. Stays mostly inside the fit debate, but adds that Morant accepted a bench role in a preseason game in Sacramento. New angle: Morant came off the bench in a preseason game in Sacramento.
- [The Athletic NBA Daily](https://boilpoints.com/u/theathleticnbadaily), 2026-10-23, 25:39 to 28:25: **Praises the guards' conditioning**. Recaps the Portland blowout and the Lillard-Morant pairing, praising both guards' conditioning and Clingan's screens. It stays inside the ground already covered, adding only impressions and an All-Star prediction.