SEATTLE – The Portland Trail Blazers played their first preseason game at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday night, losing 101-99 to the LA Clippers.

The winning basket for the Clippers came on an alley-oop dunk by Kai Jones courtesy of Jordan Miller with 2.2 seconds on the clock. Blazers guard Dalana Banton missed a three-point attempt as time expired.

The exciting ending added to the atmosphere, which was more like a play-off match. Many Seattle sports legends were on hand to welcome the NBA back to Seattle, even if it was just for one night – for now.

Former Supersonics legends Sean Kemp, Gary Payton and Jamal Crawford were in attendance. So did a handful of famous former Seahawks, including coach Pete Carroll. Former Seattle Blazers star Brandon Roy was also in attendance.

They were all there to watch the Blazers take on the LA Clippers. One team doesn’t have much hope for the upcoming season, while the other team could find itself in the playoff mix.

For the Blazers, the evening was all about testing what they worked on during training camp. Rebound and pace topped the list.

Also important throughout the season will be the play of second-year guard Scoot Henderson and rookie center Donovan Clingan.

Henderson looked a lot like the player he was for most of last season, when he struggled after being selected No. 3 overall in the 2023 NBA draft.

Henderson committed two turnovers within the first minute of the game and finished the night with seven in 30 minutes. He went on to score 13 points while shooting 4 of 16 from the field and 1 of 6 on three-pointers. Henderson also added three assists and three rebounds.

Rookie center Donovan Clingan made his first shot, a three-pointer from right away. He finished the game with seven points and five rebounds in 19 minutes. He supported Deandre Ayton, who scored eight points and seven rebounds in seventeen minutes.

Jerami Grant scored 15 points in just 16 minutes. Toumani Camara led the Blazers with 19 points. He shot 5 of 9 from the field and added nine rebounds.

WHAT IT MEANS

The Blazes were behind Shaedon Sharpe (shoulder) and Anfernee Simons (ankle soreness). That’s a lot of offensive firepower to play without. Striker Deni Avdija also sat out for personal reasons.

The fact that the Blazers had a chance to win says a lot about the rest of the roster.

Kris Murray started at guard and contributed nine points on 4-for-7 shooting.

PACESETERS

The Blazers want to play faster this season than they did in 2023-24, when they ranked 21st with 97.9 possessions per 48 minutes. On Friday, the Blazers had a pace of 102.2.

NEXT

The Blazers play their second preseason game at the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at 3 p.m.