Henderson’s four threes and Morant’s passing pace Blazers past London, 119–66

Scoot Henderson and Toumani Camara scored 14 points apiece as Portland beat the London Lions 119–66 in a Monday afternoon preseason game at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers built a 72–33 halftime lead, leaving coach Micah Nori room to spread minutes through the roster while Damian Lillard rested.

Ja Morant supplied five points, five assists and three steals in 14 minutes. His scoring was modest, but his passing and defensive pressure gave Portland some of the game’s most animated sequences. Blazer’s Edge’s report described his steal and two-handed breakaway dunk.

Conor Bergin reported that Morant also produced a pair of spinning, left-handed passes for dunks and a lob to Donovan Clingan. Afterward, Morant described trying to bring energy to an unusual afternoon game, when the players would normally have been practicing. Nori praised the team’s approach while acknowledging the limits of what the matchup could tell him.

Those limits were visible in the score. Portland led 34–21 after the first quarter and extended that advantage with a 38–12 second period. London shot 23-for-76 overall and 7-for-33 from three. Portland made 45 of 80 field-goal attempts and 16 of 34 threes, finishing with 32 assists.

Henderson’s outside shooting stood out. He made four of his five three-point attempts in 16 minutes; two free throws brought his final total to 14. Camara matched him with 14 points in 15 minutes. Clingan had 11 points and six rebounds, while Deni Avdija contributed nine points, five rebounds and four assists.

Yang Hansen scored 13 on 6-for-8 shooting and handed out four assists. Sidy Cissoko also had 13, making all five of his shots, including three three-pointers. Jeremy Sochan added eight points and eight rebounds. The distribution of production and minutes fit an exhibition that had become one-sided well before halftime.

London’s own report identified Maxwell Lewis as its leading scorer with 13 points. Lewis also had four steals. The Lions finished with 13 steals and 15 assists, although those stretches of activity could not offset Portland’s shooting or the first-half deficit.

Lions coach Tautvydas Sabonis said the team had experienced the physicality and length of NBA opposition. His postgame comments emphasized focus and discipline before London returns to European competition Thursday against Skyliners Frankfurt.

Portland moves on to Sacramento on Tuesday. Bergin reported that Nori plans to start Henderson alongside Lillard in that game, after opening Monday with Morant and Jrue Holiday. That planned combination offers another backcourt look; the 53-point win over London itself should be weighed against the gap between the two teams and the short workload for Portland’s starters.

Sources

ESPN: final box score and play-by-play · Morant’s passing and Nori’s lineup plans · Official Portland game report · Portland–London game recap