The Portland Trail Blazers faced a stiff test in the opening game of their 2025-26 season, welcoming the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Moda Center in a Western Conference battle. Portland played fast, hard, and with energetic abandon, foiling Minnesota’s superior halfcourt offense by not letting the game slow down. It was like one team took the ballroom floor trying to waltz while the other ran the 100-meter hurdles.

When the music ended, Minnesota walked away with a 118-114 victory. It was a hard-fought loss for Portland, narrow and excruciating, made all the more painful by the effort put into it. But it was a hopeful sign nonetheless for the young Blazers. Their opponent was substantial. The final margin of four points was the largest the deficit ever got. That’s something.

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