Trail Blazers hand Suns worst opening-night loss in NBA history
The Phoenix Suns made history Wednesday night, but for all of the wrong reasons.
Opening the 2017-18 regular season on their home floor, the Suns put up a giant dud against a visiting Portland Trail Blazers team missing C.J. McCollum, who was serving a one-game suspension.
Falling 124-76 to Portland at Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix now holds the distinction of owning the worst loss of any team playing its first game of the season in NBA history. It was also the Suns' worst loss in franchise history, as well.
The margin of victory for Portland was 48 points, beating the previous record of 46 held by the 1987 Denver Nuggets.
| Date | Team | Opponent | Final Score | Margin of Victory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-18-2017 | Phoenix Suns | Portland Trail Blazers | 124-76 | 48 |
| 11-06-1987 | Denver Nuggets | Los Angeles Clippers | 139-93 | 46 |
| 10-13-1973 | Portland Trail Blazers | Capital Bullets | 132-87 | 45 |
(courtesy: Basketball-Reference.com)
The Suns shot just 31.5 percent from the field, with Eric Bledsoe leading the way with just 15 points on 18 shot attempts. Devin Booker had 12 points, while Mike James came off the bench to add 12.
Portland got a career-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting out of Pat Connaughton. Damian Lillard led all scorers with 27 points, five rebounds, and three blocks, and Jusuf Nurkic notched a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.