Virtually everything that could have gone wrong for the Phoenix Suns in the 2026-27 regular season opener did. 

The 124-83 defeat at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night was every bit as ugly as one would imagine. 

Second-year head coach Jordan Ott simply had no answers due to a myriad of factors, and the leader of the Suns was brutally honest about the result after the fact.

The 41-year-old gave credit to the Trail Blazers for the win in a postgame talk with Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic - finishing off with a brief, yet profound statement.

"We just absolutely got blitzed."  

Blitz is the right word for this result. The Suns lost the game within the first six minutes, with Portland taking a 21-0 lead to open the contest. The Blazers were sharp on both sides of the ball, and shot a much better clip from beyond the arc than many would've held expectations for.

Reasons for this include Donovan Clingan completely physically asserting himself over Khaman Maluach early, while Damian Lillard also had his eyes on a productive return to the court. An overall sluggish offensive start from the Suns hurt them the entire night as well, with Devin Booker serving as the only player that truly found a scoring groove.

Some nights just don't go the way one would hope, but this one in particular stings. Phoenix has to rebound on Saturday prior to a quick turnaround against two of the top squads in the West. 

For starters, the Suns better bounce back from this showing. 

Saturday night's opponent - the Golden State Warriors - just lost their opening game by 22 points. To compound early issues is the likelihood that Stephen Curry will sit out of the game in Phoenix, as it is the second half of a back-to-back for the Warriors.

Ultimately, there are areas that the Suns can control. Many of these reside on the offensive side of the ball, as the Golden State defense looks very vulnerable at this time. 

Will Ott adjust accordingly? Do Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Miles Bridges have a response to a subpar first effort? Will Collin Gillespie bounce back from an 0-8 three-point shooting performance? 

Suns fans will have to wait until Saturday night to see the response, with a victory becoming one that is highly coveted.