Cameron Boozer recorded the first triple-double of his NBA career on Thursday night, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-103 at Moda Center in Portland. At 19 years and 103 days old, the rookie became the second-youngest player in NBA history to post a triple-double.
FINAL: Memphis Grizzlies 124, Portland Trail Blazers 103. Boozer finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in 28 minutes, and Memphis improved to 5-0, handing Portland (3-1) its first loss of the season. The Cameron Boozer triple-double arrived in just his fifth NBA game.
How to watch: Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trail Blazers, Thursday, October 29, 2026, 10:00 p.m. ET at Moda Center
Cameron Boozer Triple-Double Lands Second On The Youngest List In NBA History
The record book is the story. The youngest player ever to record an NBA triple-double is Josh Giddey, who put up 17 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists for the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Dallas Mavericks on January 2, 2022, at 19 years and 84 days old. Boozer, born July 18, 2007, reached the mark 19 days older than Giddey was, passing LaMelo Ball, who had held the second spot at 19 years and 140 days. The milestone tracking on the night also made Boozer the youngest big man to record a triple-double, and because Giddey’s came in a 95-86 loss, Boozer’s is the youngest triple-double ever posted in a win.
The speed matters as much as the age. No rookie had recorded a triple-double within his first five games since Lonzo Ball did it for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017-18. Boozer needed five games, and he did it efficiently: 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 4-of-5 from three-point range and 2-of-2 at the line, with a team-high 12 assists against two turnovers and a plus-20 mark in his 28 minutes. The league’s broadcast partner kept the reaction simple on its official account: “HE’S JUST A ROOKIE!”
This was also the first efficient shooting night of his young career. Boozer shot 2-of-15 in his NBA debut on October 21 against Utah, a seven-point night he covered with 11 rebounds and five assists, and Thursday was his first game shooting at least 50 percent from the floor. He has now scored in double figures in four of his first five games.
A Game Tied At Halftime Became A Rout After It
For two quarters this was an even game between two of the league’s early unbeatens. The teams scored 25 points apiece in the first quarter and 33 apiece in the second, and they went to halftime tied 58-58. Portland shot 22-for-48 in the half but just 7-for-26 from three-point range, while Memphis went 22-for-50 and 9-for-24 from deep. Boozer led the Grizzlies with 13 points at the break, followed by Quinten Post with 10 and Cedric Coward with nine. Deni Avdija led Portland with 13, Ja Morant had 12 and Donovan Clingan had 11.
Memphis settled it in the second half, outscoring Portland 66-45 across the final two quarters: 33-25 in the third and 33-20 in the fourth. The depth behind Boozer is why the game broke open. Reserve Isaiah Stewart matched Boozer’s team-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Coward supplied 17 points and eight rebounds, and eight Grizzlies finished in double figures in total, including Jaylen Wells with 10 and Ty Jerome with 10 on an off shooting night. A rebuilding roster was not supposed to start 5-0; a roster getting scoring from eight players on the road is how it happens.
Morant’s First Game Against Memphis Ended Early
The night carried a second headline into the building. Ja Morant, the No. 2 overall pick by Memphis in the 2019 NBA Draft, faced the Grizzlies for the first time since the offseason trade that sent him to Portland for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, ending his seven seasons as the face of the Memphis franchise. He had played the matchup down earlier in the week, calling it “just another basketball game on the schedule,” and adding: “Nothing harsh from me for Memphis. At all.”
His night ended early and short. Morant finished with 14 points, two rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes and was ruled out in the fourth quarter with a left hamstring injury; he did not return. Avdija carried Portland with a game-high 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, Clingan added 11 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, and Toumani Camara scored 13. Damian Lillard struggled to nine points on 3-of-13 shooting, and Portland’s 3-0 start ended with its first loss. The teams meet again in February, when Morant’s return to Memphis becomes the homecoming game, his health permitting.
Five Games Into A Rebuild Built Around A 19-Year-Old
Memphis has handed its franchise to this rookie by design. The Grizzlies moved on from Jaren Jackson Jr. and from Morant in separate trades, took Boozer with the third overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and paired him in the frontcourt with Zach Edey, returning from a season-ending ankle injury. The early returns go beyond Thursday: in his second game, Boozer posted 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists against Golden State, hit the go-ahead shot late, and became the second-youngest player in franchise history to record a double-double.
The pedigree was always there. Boozer is the son of Carlos Boozer, a two-time NBA All-Star who won an NCAA championship at Duke in 2001, and Cameron followed him to Duke for one season, averaging 22.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. What Duke saw over a college season, the NBA record book has now seen in five games: a 19-year-old forward who rebounds like a centre, passes like a guard and, on Thursday night in Portland, reached a line in league history that only one player has ever reached younger. Memphis hosts Sacramento on Saturday, October 31, while Portland opens a road trip at Utah the same day, and the youngest roster story in the league keeps its perfect record intact at 5-0.
