The Trail Blazers opened their preseason schedule with 105-94 loss to the Nuggets in the historic confines of Veterans Memorial Coliseum. With Nikola Jokic sidelined for the contest, coach Mike Malone’s squad relied upon contributions from the Paul Millsap and newcomer Jerami Grant. Regardless of the loss, four Blazers reached double figures to open the preseason. Zach Collins, Anfernee Simons, Mario Hezonja and Skal Labissiere all crossed the double-digit point threshold on Tuesday night.
It was far from a regular season tilt, but there was some important trends that surfaced.