Tag: Portland Trail Blazers

Trail Blazers’ Chauncey Billups offers possible Scoot Henderson return date

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said rookie Scoot Henderson is close to returning from a left adductor strain.

Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said rookie Scoot Henderson is close to returning from a left adductor strain, according to Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report.

Henderson last played on Feb. 15 and will miss his seventh straight game on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He recently returned to on-court activities and was seen pregame going through various shooting and dribbling workouts.

The Trail Blazers hope to get him back in the lineup on Friday against the Houston Rockets or Saturday against the Toronto Raptors as they continue a six-game homestand at the Moda Center.

Henderson is averaging 12.9 points, 4.7 assists and three rebounds on 37.5% shooting from the field in 43 games with the Trail Blazers. He is fourth among rookies in scoring and one of six first-year players with multiple 30-point games (2).

The third pick has missed time throughout the year due to injuries. He was sidelined for nine games at the start of the season because of an ankle sprain and two games before the All-Star break with a foot sprain before his latest setback.

The organization is pleased with how Henderson has progressed to this point and how he handles the workload at the point guard position. He is viewed as a franchise cornerstone, so the team will look to ease him back into action over the last stretch of the season.

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Full injury report for Wednesday’s Thunder vs. Trail Blazers matchup

Full injury report for Wednesday’s Thunder vs. Trail Blazers matchup.

The Oklahoma City Thunder complete a four-game road trip when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. It’ll be the final matchup between the squads; OKC won the first three.

The Thunder (42-19) enter the contest relatively healthy. The only notable absence is their backup big. Jaylin Williams (knee sprain) suffered an injury in their loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Ousmane Dieng (G League assignment), Keyontae Johnson (G League two-way) and Adam Flagler (G League two-way) are also out.

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers (17-43) have an extensive injury report, with several notable players listed. Scoot Henderson (adductor strain) is out. Jerami Grant (quad contusion) is questionable. Deandre Ayton (hand sprain) is doubtful. Shaedon Sharpe (abdominal surgery) is out. Malcolm Brogdon (elbow tendinitis) is out. Matisse Thybulle (hip strain) is questionable. Toumani Camara (illness) is questionable. Robert Williams III (knee ligament tear) is out.

The Thunder look to bounce back from a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

The Trail Blazers have played better recently. In their last contest, Portland barely lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. Before that, they beat the Memphis Grizzlies twice.

The Thunder have won the first three matchups pretty convincingly. In their last meeting, OKC survived the upset with a close win on Jan. 23.

Tip off from Portland is set for 9 p.m. CT.

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Antoine Davis erupted for first career 40-point game in the G League

Antoine Davis became the 18th player in the G League this season to score at least 40 points in a game.

Rookie Antoine Davis erupted for a career performance in the G League on Thursday to lead the Rip City Remix to a victory on the road over the Wisconsin Herd.

Davis produced 41 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 33 minutes in the 116-104 win. He went 15-of-28 from the field, including a career-high 9-of-17 from 3-point range, as the Remix improved to 11-8 in the regular season.

The undrafted guard from Detroit became the 18th player in the G League this season to score at least 40 points in a game. He is one of two players to reach that mark while connecting on at least nine 3s.

Davis, who finished as the second all-time scoring leader in the NCAA, played with the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Summer League. He was with the team during training camp before beginning the season with the Remix.

The 25-year-old is averaging 14.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 37.6% shooting from 3-point range in 34 games with the Remix. He ranks seventh in the G League in 3s (108) and is one of nine players to hit at least nine in a game this season.

Davis established himself as one of the best scorers at the collegiate level at Detroit and has shown that ability in spurts with the Remix. He put on a show on Thursday and had one of the best-scoring performances in the G League this year.

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Scoot Henderson: ‘The Ignite path is perfect almost’

Scoot Henderson has had a roller coaster of a season but seems to have stirred the ship and built momentum lately. The rookie took some time to chat with HoopsHype on behalf of STARRY to talk about his goals, guys that stood out to him, and more.

Scoot Henderson has had a roller coaster of a season but seems to have stirred the ship and built momentum lately. The rookie took some time to chat with HoopsHype on behalf of STARRY to talk about his goals, guys that stood out to him, and more.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Bennedict Mathurin unanimously named MVP to lead Team Jalen to title

Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship.

Indiana Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin on Friday was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mathurin produced 18 points in the opening game as Team Jalen defeated Team Tamika. He had four points, two assists and one steal in a 26-13 win in the final over Team Detlef, which consisted of seven of the top players in the G League.

While Mathurin did the bulk of the scoring in the semifinal round, Dereck Lively II had six points and Jordan Hawkins and Jalen Williams each chipped in five points in the final. Williams drained the game-winning 3-pointer to end it for Team Jalen.

The event featured four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games were played to a target score of 40, and the championship game was played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consisted of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches and the players from the G League were selected by the league office.

The four teams were coached by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who led the G League team.

Here is how the teams performed in the event.

Rumor: Trail Blazers to convert rookie Duop Reath to 3-year contract

Duop Reath has reportedly agreed to sign a three-year standard contract with the Trail Blazers.

Rookie Duop Reath has agreed to a three-year standard contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Reath, who was born in Sudan, signed a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers prior to the season. He joined the team for the NBA Summer League in July after playing several years overseas in Serbia, Australia, China and Lebanon.

The 27-year-old attended high school in Australia and played four years in college between Lee College and LSU. He averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and one block on 54.4% shooting from the field in 33 games with the Tigers as a senior during the 2017-18 season.

Reath is averaging 8.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 38.5% shooting from 3-point range in 40 appearances with the Trail Blazers. He is 12th among rookies in scoring and rebounding and notched the franchise record for a center for consecutive games with a 3-pointer (10).

He has made one appearance this season in the G League with the Rip City Remix, producing 37 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks on Nov. 10. He became only the second player in G League history to reach that stat line in a debut game.

After putting up a strong rookie campaign, the Trail Blazers opted to reward Reath with a three-year contract. He will now have the opportunity to continue his career in Portland.

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Trail Blazers’ Scoot Henderson thankful for third Rising Stars selection

Scoot Henderson is thankful to be competing in the Rising Stars game for a third time after a strong campaign with the Trail Blazers.

Rookie Scoot Henderson is thankful to be competing in the Rising Stars game at NBA All-Star Weekend for a third time after a strong campaign with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Henderson had the opportunity to participate in the event in the past two years with the G League Ignite. He teamed up with other players in the G League in those two games but will now play alongside the likes of Paolo Banchero, Keegan Murray and Keyonte George on Team Pau.

The third pick was also selected for the G League Next Up game, which takes place before the All-Star Game on Sunday each year. He was appreciative of those opportunities for players like him and others in the G League.

I’m very blessed to have these couple of opportunities. The first two years in the G League, we didn’t have to come here and be selected by a team. The Next Up game, it was a huge opportunity for the G League and the Ignite, especially. I’m blessed, and I appreciate the opportunity. I think Year 3 (at the game) means a whole bunch to me because it is my rookie year.

Henderson is averaging 12.9 points, 4.7 assists and three rebounds on 37.5% shooting from the field in 43 games with the Trail Blazers. He is fourth among rookies in scoring and one of six first-year players with multiple 30-point games (2).

The 20-year-old had a bit of a rough start to the year after dealing with an ankle injury. However, the team is pleased with how Henderson has progressed to this point and how he is handling the workload at the point guard position.

He looks to have progressed with each game, which was to be expected after missing time. He is developing into a franchise cornerstone and proving himself a top-three pick.

Rookie Wire Power Rankings: Victor Wembanyama maintains No. 1 spot after historic performance

Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2023-24 season.

The regular season is past the trade deadline and approaching NBA All-Star Weekend, with the top players in the game set to compete in various events in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The crop of rookies continues to perform well this season, resulting in some remarkable performances of late. Led by Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson and others, they have captured national attention and have been fascinating at times.

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The class will be represented in the Rising Stars game, as 11 first-year players will participate in the revamped exhibition. Including 10 sophomores, and seven players from the G League, the game will feature the top up-and-coming players.

To make sense of it all, we looked at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but to illustrate the best players week to week.

Trail Blazers GM gives Scoot Henderson praise for rookie year development

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has been pleased with the progress of Scoot Henderson this season.

Scoot Henderson had a rocky start to his rookie campaign, but the third pick appears to have settled in, and that has resulted in some strong performances of late with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Henderson played in the first five games of the season, but was then sidelined for nine due to an ankle injury. He struggled with efficiency over his first 19 games, averaging 10.8 points, 4.1 assists and 2.7 rebounds on 36.7% shooting from the field, including 25% from 3-point range.

The 20-year-old has since improved, posting 14.5 points, five assists and 3.4 rebounds in 22 games on 36.7% shooting from beyond the arc. He has two 30-point games in that stretch, including a career-high 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on Jan. 14.

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin noted Thursday that Henderson looks to be getting more comfortable each game and is pleased with how he has progressed this season.

(He had a) shaky start early on, which was to be expected for a 19-year-old coming in and running an offense. I love how he has navigated that, especially lately. I think we’ve seen some really explosive moments and series of games from him. That’s what we’re building off of: Get past the mistakes, show what you’re capable of and keep growing from that. Running an NBA team from the point guard spot is hard, and I think Scoot has navigated that really well.

Henderson, like most rookies at this stage of their careers, is still learning how to integrate with the other players on the team. The Trail Blazers have dealt with injuries preventing the team from being at full strength, which has delayed the process.

He has demonstrated he can play either as a starter or a reserve player, which has given coach Chauncey Billups some flexibility. With such a young roster, the team is still working to figure out its rotations and lineups, but the front office likes where it is at the moment.

Henderson was a highly touted prospect entering the NBA draft last year and has shown flashes of that ability. He was named to the NBA Rising Stars game and is one of five first-year players with multiple 30-point games this season.

He looks to have progressed with each game, which was to be expected after missing time. He is developing into a franchise cornerstone and proving himself a top-three pick.

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Trail Blazers’ Chauncey Billups praises Kris Murray: He doesn’t make very many mistakes

Kris Murray has seen sporadic minutes with the Trail Blazers, but earned praise from coach Chauncey Billups for staying ready.

Kris Murray has seen sporadic minutes this season with the Portland Trail Blazers, but the 23rd pick earned praise from coach Chauncey Billups for staying ready and playing with confidence.

Murray has made 30 appearances with the Trail Blazers entering play on Thursday. He has played in mop-up duty several times and even had stints in the G League with the Rip City Remix earlier this season in November and December.

The 23-year-old recently had the opportunity to make his first start with the Trail Blazers short-handed. He recorded eight points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 19 minutes on Sunday in a 112-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Billups liked how Murray performed in that contest.

Kris is a player who doesn’t make very many mistakes. He does it right all of the time. He’ll have a chase-down block here or an offensive rebound here, he is going to do something to impact the game; it is what you’re always going to get from him. I think his confidence is just starting to pick up. The more he plays, the more confident he becomes.

Murray is averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds on 38.1% shooting from the field in 12.7 minutes per game with the Trail Blazers. His numbers with the Remix in the G League: 14.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and one steal.

He was highly touted after three years at Iowa, given his ability to play on both ends of the court. He has displayed those attributes in a limited sample size this season and is looking to continue that effort for this year and beyond.

Above all else, Murray wants to play the right way, as Billups alluded to.

That is something I try to do every single day: Play the right way and just do what (Coach) tells me to do. I don’t want to be someone who Coach has got to ask to do something two or three times. It should only take once or none at all.

The organization is high on his potential to develop into a franchise cornerstone. He has impressed the coaching staff and his teammates thus far and will be looking to carry that momentum throughout the rest of his rookie campaign.

“He is such a consistent person and player,” Matisse Thybulle said. “The way he shows up and does his job. He has an effortless approach and way he moves around the court to where it doesn’t really seem like he is exerting himself. He is constantly one of the first guys down the court, crashing the glass and being able to play on each side of the ball. I think from Day 1 to now, the most impressive thing is just how consistent he has been.”

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