Postseason hopefuls will get the season started with a late night tip-off at the Moda Center. The Trail Blazers survived the Western Conference play-in, earning the conference’s seventh seed before falling short vs. San Antonio. After a busy offseason, Portland believes it has the pieces to take another step towards contention. It’s a similar story for the Suns, last season’s eighth seed in the West. Can Phoenix earn a road upset this evening, or will Rip City defend its home court?
The Trail Blazers enter tonight’s matchup as 2.5-point favorites, with the total set at 231.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. Below is my full preview, prediction and best bet for Wednesday’s Phoenix vs. Portland contest.
Suns vs. Trail Blazers prediction, preview
Phoenix made a splash this summer, trading for Hornets power forward Miles Bridges. Off-court history aside, the 28-year-old should only help this roster. Last season with Charlotte, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists to go with 46/33/82 shooting splits. The trade did come at the cost of some depth; veterans Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale have departed. Luke Kennard is expected to serve a significant role off the bench, but he’s questionable tonight with a knee injury.
There are legitimate questions about Phoenix’s rotation, especially down low. Mark Williams (shoulder) is injured, leaving the center spot between youngsters Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach. Regardless, the rest of this starting five is fairly established. Face of the franchise Devin Booker (26.1 PPG) and former Rocket Jalen Green (17.8 PPG) provide plenty of buckets. The always-pesky Dillon Brooks (20.2 PPG) will look to build off of a career-best 2025-26 campaign as well. Still, this was the NBA’s fifth-lowest scoring offense with just 112.6 points per game last year. Playmaking was the biggest issue for the Suns, tied for the association’s second-fewest assists (24.6 APG).
Where Phoenix does its best work is on the other end of the floor, ranking ninth in defensive rating last season (112.9). That’ll be the challenge for a Portland squad that loves playing with tempo. Last season, the Trail Blazers finished with the NBA’s ninth-quickest pace on offense (101.63). Leading the charge was Deni Avdija, who put together his first career All-Star campaign. However, as of Wednesday morning, he’s listed as questionable due to right ankle soreness. With or without the forward active, all eyes will be on Damian Lillard. Signed one year ago, it’s been a long road towards recovery for the franchise legend. His two-year tenure in Milwaukee ended on a sour note, with a brutal Achilles tear suffered during the 2025 playoffs. In the time since, Lillard has been rehabbing his way back into game shape. It’ll be fascinating to see what version of the veteran takes the floor tonight.
Lillard isn’t the only big name with intrigue for the Blazers. Former Grizzlies star Ja Morant is in town, looking to re-establish himself as one of the NBA’s best guards. Injuries, underperformance and off-court issues marred the 27-year-old’s last few seasons in Memphis. He now gets an opportunity to start over on the West Coast. The second-best player on the team might be Donovan Clingan, a double-double machine that’s only getting better. Last season, the UConn alum averaged 12.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Two-way veteran Jrue Holiday helps round out a roster with significant upside, albeit missing sharpshooter Shaedon Sharpe (knee). New head coach Micah Nori will have plenty of weapons at his disposal coming into Wednesday’s matchup
Best Bet: Suns vs. Trail Blazers under 231.5 points (-112)
Even if Avdija does suit up tonight, he’s unlikely to operate at 100%. That’s without factoring in all the brand new pieces in town for Portland this evening. Trial and error is almost guaranteed, especially against a capable Suns defense. On the other side, Phoenix’s deliberate offense should have little issue picking their spots on Wednesday. A sluggish start for these two squads wouldn’t come as a surprise.
