London Lions Make British Basketball History Despite 119-66 Loss to Trail Blazers

The London Lions made British basketball history Monday by becoming the first club from Britain to face an NBA team, even though the landmark night ended with a 119-66 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Portland controlled the game from the opening quarter, building a 72-33 halftime advantage and eventually stretching the margin to 57 points.

The talent gap showed in the numbers. Portland shot 56 percent from the field and made 16 three-pointers while holding London to roughly 30 percent shooting. The Trail Blazers also controlled the paint 54-24 and won the rebounding battle 51-32. Scoot Henderson and Toumani Camara scored 14 points apiece for Portland as the Blazers used the exhibition to evaluate their rotation and younger players.

But the most important part of the night went beyond the scoreboard. A British professional club sharing an NBA floor is another sign of basketball’s expanding international footprint, arriving as the NBA continues exploring deeper European involvement. London was clearly overmatched, but simply reaching this stage gave British basketball a measuring stick it has never had before. The result will be forgotten faster than the milestone: October 12, 2026 became the first night a British club competed directly against an NBA franchise.