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Blazers Beat Suns By 48 Points

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  • Blazers Beat Suns By 48 Points

    Blazers hand Suns worst loss ever in season opener, 124-76

    PHOENIX -- If the Suns were a Broadway show, they'd close for good after opening night.

    The Suns weren't just bad in their 124-76 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in their season opener on Wednesday night. They were historically awful.

    It was the most one-sided season-opening loss by any team in NBA history and the worst defeat by the Suns in any game in their 49 years.

    Suns coach Earl Watson said he was "embarrassed" by what happened.

    "Portland came in here and basically kicked our butts as bad as they could," Watson said. "They didn't have no sympathy."

    Damian Lillard scored 27 points, and Pat Connaughton added a career-high 24 points, making 4 of 6 3-pointers for Portland.

    The Trail Blazers outshot, outrebounded and outhustled the Suns from the opening tip.

    Portland tied the second-largest margin of victory in franchise history. Only a 50-point win against the Cleveland Cavaliers (129-79) on Nov. 21, 1982, was larger.

    The 48-point rout exceeded the Denver Nuggets' 46-point victory (139-93) over the Los Angeles Clippers on opening day in 1987.

    The blowout also topped Phoenix's 44-point loss to the Seattle SuperSonics (151-107) on April 2, 1988.

    The Blazers dominated, even though they were without one of their best players, guard CJ McCollum, who was suspended one game for leaving the bench area during a tussle involving the Suns' Alex Len and Caleb Swanigan in a preseason game a week ago.

    Portland led 60-35 at the half and outscored the Suns 64-41 in the second half. The Blazers led by as many as 58, for a time flirting with the most one-sided game in NBA history, a 68-point blowout of the Miami Heat by the Cavaliers on Dec. 17, 1991.

    The Suns shot 31.5 percent to Portland's 49 percent, made 7 of 27 3-pointers to the Blazers' 14-of-24 and were outrebounded 57-33.

    Phoenix had the league's second-worst record last season at 24-58 and looked at least that bad throughout the opener. The Suns have not made the playoffs in seven seasons, the longest drought in franchise history. They are trying to rebuild with youth. That takes time and some painful moments, such as the one Wednesday night.
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