Rookie Cameron Boozer recorded his first career triple-double on Thursday night, October 29, 2026, and the Memphis Grizzlies stayed perfect. The Cameron Boozer triple-double — 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists — powered Memphis to a 124-103 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center, lifting the Grizzlies to 5-0 and leaving them, alongside the Houston Rockets, as the NBA's last two unbeaten teams.

The night had everything a young season could ask for: a clash of unbeaten teams, a former franchise star facing his old club for the first time, a second-half surge, and a 19-year-old rookie announcing himself on a national stage. Portland, which entered 3-0 after winning its first three games, suffered its first loss of the season. Memphis, meanwhile, kept building what is already one of the best starts in franchise history.

Key Points

• Cameron Boozer posted his first career triple-double — 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists — in just his fifth NBA game as Memphis beat Portland 124-103 on October 29, 2026.
• The Grizzlies improved to 5-0, one win short of the franchise-best 6-0 start in 2014, and are now one of only two unbeaten teams left, alongside the Houston Rockets (5-0).
• Eight Grizzlies scored in double figures, including 18 off the bench from Isaiah Stewart, as Memphis outscored Portland 66-45 in the second half.
• Portland guard Ja Morant faced Memphis for the first time since his June trade, scoring 14 points before leaving in the fourth quarter with a left hamstring injury.
• Elsewhere on Thursday night, Atlanta beat Cleveland 114-111 and New Orleans beat Sacramento 132-120 for its first win of the season.

What Happened

The game was tied at 58 at halftime, with Deni Avdija scoring 13 for Portland and Boozer matching him with 13 for Memphis. Whatever was said in the Grizzlies' locker room worked. Memphis opened the third quarter with a 12-2 burst, capped by a Jaylen Wells three-pointer that made it 72-66 with 6:13 left in the period, and never looked back.

Memphis shot 46.1 percent from the field and made 18 of 42 three-point attempts (42.9 percent). Boozer was 4 of 5 from distance and, according to the early box-score summaries, 6 of 10 from the field overall, with only two turnovers against his 12 assists — a strikingly clean line for a teenager in his fifth professional game.

The decisive stretch came late. A Ty Jerome three-pointer gave Memphis a 101-89 lead with 8:43 remaining and started a 13-0 run, finished by a Cedric Coward three that made it 111-89 with 5:31 left. Wells scored on a layup to make it 117-93 with 3:52 to play, and the rest was celebration time for the visitors.

Depth carried Memphis as much as its star rookie did. Reserve Isaiah Stewart scored 18 points, matching Boozer for the team high. Coward added 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals, Zach Edey scored 13, GG Jackson added 12 off the bench, and Jerome, Wells and Quinten Post chipped in 10 points apiece. Eight Grizzlies in double figures is the kind of balance that travels — and this Memphis team has travelled well, completing its first undefeated road trip of four games or more since 2013.

For Portland, Avdija led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, falling just short of a triple-double of his own. Toumani Camara scored 13 and Donovan Clingan added 11. But the Blazers, outscored by 21 points after halftime, could not match Memphis's ball movement or its bench production once the game opened up.

Background/Context: A Rookie, a Trade and a New Era in Memphis

Boozer, the third pick in June's draft, needed just five NBA games to record his first triple-double. He is the first rookie to do so this early in a season since Lonzo Ball in 2017-18, and the second-youngest player in NBA history to manage the feat. That context matters: triple-doubles are not supposed to arrive this quickly, and they are not supposed to arrive with this much efficiency. Twelve assists, two turnovers and four made threes in a 21-point road win over an unbeaten team is a statement, not a footnote.

The win also closed a chapter for Memphis. Thursday was Ja Morant's first game against the Grizzlies since they traded him to Portland on June 29 for forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. Morant, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft and a two-time All-Star, spent seven seasons in Memphis and helped the Grizzlies reach the Western Conference semifinals in 2022. Before the game he said he had not wanted to leave — "I didn't want to leave. Memphis was enough to me, but I'm in a good place now," he said, adding, "Guys started getting traded. New guys coming in ... and then it came to me."

Morant had made a fast start in Portland, averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 assists on 58.8 percent shooting across his first three games, including a season-high 23 points in Tuesday's 136-129 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. On Thursday he scored 14 points with three assists in 23 minutes, but he left the floor with 7:46 remaining in the game and was ruled out a short time later with a left hamstring injury. Portland will hope the injury is minor; Morant's health is central to everything the Blazers want to build this season, and the sight of him walking off against his former team was the night's worrying subplot.

Memphis, by contrast, has become one of the NBA's biggest early surprises. Its 4-0 start before Thursday was already the franchise's best since 2014, and 5-0 now leaves it one win from equalling the franchise-best 6-0 start from that 2014 season. The Grizzlies return home next, hosting the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, October 31, at 7 p.m. CT — a Kings team that, after Thursday's loss in New Orleans, is the first team in the league to lose five games this season.

Cameron Boozer Triple-Double: Why the Numbers Stand Out

Triple-doubles invite a simple question: was it volume, or was it control? Boozer's was control. He scored without forcing shots, rebounded at both ends, and created for teammates who were ready to shoot — the 18 made threes by Memphis tell that story as clearly as the 12 assists do. When a rookie's teammates shoot 42.9 percent from three, it usually means the ball is arriving on time and in rhythm. Boozer's passing did that.

The age angle adds to the story without defining it. Being the second-youngest player ever to record a triple-double, and the first rookie to do it this early in a season in nearly a decade, puts Boozer in rare company. But the more durable point is the team record: 5-0, with a road win over a fellow unbeaten, a bench that outplayed Portland's, and a defence that held the Blazers to 45 second-half points. Rookies do not win games alone. This one is winning them inside a team that looks organised, deep and confident.

There is also a neat symmetry in the standings. Memphis and Houston, both 5-0, are the only unbeaten teams left. Portland, which had been 3-0 and was playing its fourth game, drops to 3-1. Early-season records are fragile — 77 games remain for Memphis, as Boozer himself noted after the game — but unbeaten starts shape belief, and belief shapes the next month of a season.

Reactions/Quotes

Boozer kept his own reaction short and forward-looking. "I'm going to keep going. Season just started, we've got 77 more (games) — so a lot more to come," he said after the game. It was the right note from a 19-year-old who had just made history: enjoy the night, then move on.

Morant, before the game, had struck a similarly measured tone about his departure from Memphis, saying he carried no hard feelings into the matchup and that Portland was a better basketball fit after just three games there. His 14 points on Thursday, and his early exit with the hamstring injury, left the reunion story unfinished — he is due back in Memphis on February 6, when the reception, and the rematch, will carry even more weight.

Portland's wider picture remains encouraging despite the loss. The Blazers had beaten the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and Avdija's near-triple-double on Thursday showed the versatility that has made their 3-0 start possible. A first defeat, at home, to a 5-0 team, is not a crisis. The injury update on Morant will matter far more than the scoreline.

Why It Matters

Early-season NBA games are often dismissed as noise, but this one carried signal. Memphis is not just winning; it is winning on the road, with depth, with a rookie running the offence, and without the player who defined its previous era. That is a rebuild done at unusual speed, and it changes how the Western Conference looks. A 5-0 Grizzlies team with a triple-double rookie, a productive bench and a home game against a winless Kings team next has a real chance to keep this run going deep into November.

For Portland, the game was a reality check and a warning. The Blazers are good — 3-0, with wins over Phoenix and the Lakers, said so — but Memphis showed the gap between a good start and a complete team. Closing that gap will depend on health, on Avdija's continued growth, and on Morant's hamstring cooperating.

For the league, Boozer's night is the latest reminder that this rookie class can move a season. AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick, scored 19 on his debut for Washington earlier this week, and now Boozer has a triple-double in game five. The next generation is not waiting its turn.

What Happens Next

Memphis hosts Sacramento on Saturday, October 31, at 7 p.m. CT, with a chance to move to 6-0 and equal the franchise-best start. Portland awaits an update on Morant's left hamstring and will look to bounce back from its first loss. The Rockets, the other unbeaten team, will try to keep pace at the top of the early standings.

The rest of Thursday's results also set up weekend storylines. Atlanta, after snapping its three-game losing streak against Cleveland, will try to build momentum. New Orleans, finally in the win column, will try to prove Thursday was a turning point rather than a one-night reprieve. And Sacramento, now 0-5, walks into Memphis on Saturday needing a win against the league's hottest team — the hardest possible assignment for a team still searching for its first victory.

Frequently Asked Questions

What were Cameron Boozer's stats against Portland?

Boozer finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his first career triple-double, shooting 4 of 5 from three-point range, as Memphis beat Portland 124-103.

How rare is a triple-double in a rookie's fifth game?

Very rare. Boozer is the first rookie to record one this early in a season since Lonzo Ball in 2017-18, and the second-youngest player in NBA history to achieve the feat.

What is the Grizzlies' record after the win?

Memphis improved to 5-0, one win short of the franchise-best 6-0 start in 2014. The Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets (5-0) are the NBA's only remaining unbeaten teams.

What happened to Ja Morant in the game?

Morant, facing Memphis for the first time since his June trade to Portland, scored 14 points in 23 minutes before leaving in the fourth quarter with a left hamstring injury. He was ruled out shortly afterwards.

What were the other NBA results on Thursday night?

Atlanta beat Cleveland 114-111, ending a three-game losing streak, and New Orleans beat Sacramento 132-120 for its first win of the season, leaving the Kings as the first team to lose five games.

Related reading on US News Pulse: Trail Blazers beat Lakers 136-129 as Doncic's 41 points go to waste in LA, Rockets beat Bucks 132-100 as VanVleet erupts and Houston stays perfect at 5-0, and Nikola Jokic's 200 triple-doubles: Nuggets star makes NBA history in win.

Sources: Reuters/Field Level Media NBA roundup and game report, October 30, 2026; Associated Press game report, October 30, 2026; Memphis Commercial Appeal game coverage, October 29-30, 2026; Reuters pre-game report on Ja Morant, October 29, 2026.