Tag: Portland Trail Blazers

Jamal Crawford is happy to see Scoot Henderson make the Rising Stars game

Jamal Crawford was a big fan of Scoot Henderson entering the season, and the NBA legend was happy to see him make the Rising Stars game.

Jamal Crawford was a big fan of Scoot Henderson entering the season, and the former 20-year veteran was happy to see the rookie make the NBA Rising Stars game.

Henderson was among 11 first-year players selected to compete in the annual showcase at All-Star Weekend on Feb. 16 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is his third selection to the game after previously representing the G League Ignite in the competition.

The third pick is averaging 12.2 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds on 37% shooting from the field in 38 games this season with the Portland Trail Blazers. He is fifth among rookies in scoring and one of six first-year players with a 30-point game.

Crawford, speaking Tuesday on “NBA on TNT” with Adam Lefkoe, Vince Carter and Candace Parker, was excited to see Henderson earn the nod after a slow start this year.

I like Scoot Henderson. The fact that he started out rough, it wasn’t pretty from the start. He has found his footing and has figured out pace and figured out how to get going, so to see him make this game, I’m really, really happy for him.

Henderson, as Crawford mentioned, had a bit of a rough start.

He played in the first five games of the season and was then sidelined for nine games 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 19-year-old has since improved, posting 13.7 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 19 games on 36% shooting from beyond the arc. He has four 20-point games in that stretch, including a career-high 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on Jan. 14.

Henderson 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 as a top-three pick last year.

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NBA Rising Stars 2024: Player pool revealed for annual showcase at All-Star Weekend

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 at All-Star Weekend.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams and the seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Assistant coaches from the NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will join the honorary head coaches in coaching the Rising Stars teams. The NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs for both the Eastern and Western Conferences have yet to be determined.

TNT will televise the competition beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

What does the Blazers win tell us about what the Chicago Bulls need to do at the deadline?

The Chicago Bulls got a win vs. the lowly Portland Trail Blazers, but fans of the storied ball club should not get too excited about what is effectively fool’s gold.

The Chicago Bulls got a win vs. the lowly Portland Trail Blazers, but fans of the storied ball club should not get too excited about what is effectively fool’s gold. With the team in desperate need of a retool or maybe even more, the looming NBA trade deadline ought to be on all of our minds in the coming weeks before Feb. 8.

The surprising showing of wing Julian Phillips is one of several small bright spots emerging this season, but the Bulls’ front office has bigger fish to fry in the coming days. Will the team trade Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, or any of the other older players on the roster? Or will they stand pat?

The host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast Haize broke down how Chicago got the win, but more importantly what it tells us about what the Bulls need to do before the deadline passes.

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Ayo Dosunmu credits Nikola Vucevic for clutch shot in Bulls win over Trail Blazers

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Ayo Dosunmu credited Nikola Vucevic for his clutch late-game three.

The Chicago Bulls traveled to the Pacific Northwest on Sunday night to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. However, a season’s worth of struggles for Portland didn’t prevent them from keeping things close. Chicago led for most of the game, but Portland took the lead late in the third and made it a one-possession game toward the end of the fourth, too.

Anfernee Simons nailed a three with 4:34 left to bring the Trail Blazers within three points, but Ayo Dosunmu made sure to quell any hopes of a Portland comeback. He matched Simons’ three with one of his own, ensuring a Chicago victory.

After the game, Dosunmu credited Nikola Vucevic for the play, noting that it was the big man who trusted him enough to make the pass.

“Anytime you get a win, it always feels good,” Dosunmu said via ESPN. “It just feels good because of the work I put into it, [Vucevic] trusting me, he could have easily just shot it, because he’s a veteran and an All-Sar, but he trusted in me to make the right play.”

Dosunmu finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three blocks while shooting 5-of-12 from the field and 1-of-4 from behind the three-point line.

Meanwhile, Vucevic put up 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three blocks while shooting 6-of-14 from the floor.

That said, it was a well-rounded effort by the Bulls that got the job done, as six different players put up at least 10 points, led by DeMar DeRozan with 20.

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Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu scored so fast that he was worried he dunked on the wrong basket

This all happened so fast that the Bulls guard even confused himself.

After the Chicago Bulls won the opening tipoff against the Portland Trail Blazers, 24-year-old guard Ayo Dosunmu was off to the races.

Bulls big Nikola Vucevic knocked the ball forward after the game began and Dosunmu chased it down as fast as he could. Before the scoreboard showed up on the TV broadcast for NBC Sports Chicago, the possession was over and Dosunmu had already thrown down a dunk to give the Bulls a 2-0 lead.

It all happened so fast that it was hard to process what had even happened:

After the game, even Dosunmu admitted that he was a bit confused by the series of events.

He shared that he was worried that he had accidentally gone the wrong way on the court and perhaps scored on the incorrect basket.

Fortunately for Dosunmu and the Bulls, he hadn’t made a mistake but rather was in the right place at the right time.

This ultimately set the tone for a good game for Dosunmu and a nice win for Chicago over the Portland Trail Blazers.

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Report: League personnel believe Rockets have trade interest in Malcolm Brogdon

Yahoo’s Jake Fischer on trade talks: “League personnel believe [Malcolm] Brogdon has another team with legitimate interest in his services: Houston.”

Two nights after veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon led the Portland Trail Blazers to an upset win in Houston, are the Rockets interested in bringing him back to town on a more permanent basis?

Now 31 years old, Brogdon isn’t an ideal age alignment with the rebuilding Trail Blazers (13-30). That could make him a better fit in Houston, where general manager Rafael Stone’s Rockets (20-23) appear closer to making a playoff push in the Western Conference.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports has more:

In addition to the Knicks and Lakers, league personnel believe Brogdon has another team with legitimate interest in his services: Houston, which has plenty of former Boston staffers who overlapped with Brogdon during his (2022-23) season with the Celtics.

Brogdon is under contract with the Blazers through the 2024-25 season at $22.5 million annually. Between the expiring salaries of Victor Oladipo and Jock Landale, Houston could make the matching math work on a potential deal. The question is whether the sides could come to terms on the appropriate asset(s) — likely a draft pick and/or a young player, given Portland’s rebuilding situation — to send with those expiring contracts to incentivize a deal.

Talks are likely to heat up with at least some Brogdon suitors in the near future, since the NBA’s 2023-24 in-season trade deadline of Thursday, Feb. 8, is less than two weeks away.

A steady 6-foot-4 guard who can play and defend at either backcourt spot, Brogdon is averaging 15.7 points (42.2% on 3-pointers) and 5.3 assists in 28.0 minutes per game this season.

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NBA Power Rankings: Suns’ Big 3 flexing during 7-game win streak

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

Teams around the NBA have begun the second halves of their schedules, as the season rapidly approaches the trade deadline and All-Star break next month.

The past week saw plenty of storylines unfold, from some surprising coaching changes to a trade involving the Miami Heat to a few historic performances. The dialogue further showed how entertaining the NBA can be on and off the court.

The action should only continue to heat up with less than two weeks remaining until the trade deadline on Feb. 8. Rumors are swirling around several players and teams, proving that it should once again be a busy acquisition period.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.

In breaking slump, Rockets guard Jalen Green takes what defense gives

“I was really just taking what the defense was giving me,” Rockets guard Jalen Green says of his 29-point showing against Portland. “They were in drop.”

HOUSTON — Rockets fans in attendance saw a familiar face dominating the court at Toyota Center on Wednesday. Third-year guard Jalen Green, who was questionable to play due to an illness, did everything he could to will his team to a victory but came up short as Houston lost in overtime, 137-131, to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Green, selected by the Rockets with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, came out aggressive —  as he ferociously attacked the heart of the Blazers’ defense by using his athleticism on drives.

When Portland began to drop deeper in the lane, Green began to find his spots inside the 3-point line, hitting multiple mid-range shots. It is something that Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has preached to Green all season about being decisive and aggressive on offense.

“I was really just taking what the defense was giving me,” Green said postgame. “They were in drop [defense], and they were giving me a shot that I have not been missing a lot this year… that I need to be shooting. I was just taking what the defense was giving me.”

Green shot 52% (10-for-19) from inside the 3-point arc on his way to a 29-point performance. It was only his second game to score more than 25 points in January, a feat he reached five times in January 2023, which included a pair of 40-point performances.

This time, Green bounced back from a pair of slugginsh performances in his previous two home games: 16 points against the Boston Celtics, and only 7 points in an overtime win over the Utah Jazz.

“Great job,” Rockets center Alperen Sengun, who finished with 30 points himself, said of Green’s game. “He is attacking and being more aggressive, and that is helping the team too. We have to keep that up and do it every game. We need to keep that energy every game.”

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Reaction: Defenseless Rockets stunned at buzzer by Blazers, Jerami Grant

In another sluggish defensive showing, Jerami Grant beat the regulation buzzer in Houston, and the Blazers went on to shock the Rockets in overtime.

HOUSTON — In the finale of a three-game homestand at Toyota Center, the Rockets suffered a difficult setback in Wednesday’s 137-131 overtime loss (box score) to the Portland Trail Blazers.

With the loss, Houston (20-23) missed a chance to pull into a virtual tie with Utah and the Los Angeles Lakers (both 22-23) for the No. 9 and No. 10 spots in the Western Conference standings, which would represent the final two spots in the 2023-24 play-in tournament.

The Rockets led by four points entering the game’s closing seconds, but Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant each hit miraculous 3-pointers in the final 3.1 seconds of regulation (sandwiched around a pair of free throws by Aaron Holiday) to extend the game to overtime. Grant’s off-balance, off-glass heave from the right wing went in as time expired, and Portland pulled away in overtime.

Grant finished with 21 points and 9 assists for lowly Portland (13-30), which entered on night two of a road back-to-back. Houston, on the other hand, was at home and rested, having not played since Sunday.

The Rockets had plenty of standouts on offense, including:

  • Alperen Sengun: 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists; 11-of-17 shooting (64.7%), 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%), 7-of-8 on free throws (87.5%)
  • Jalen Green: 29 points, 3 assists; 12-of-24 shooting (50.0%), 2-of-7 on 3-pointers (28.6%), 3-of-4 on free throws (75.0%)
  • Fred VanVleet: 18 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks; 8-of-17 shooting (47.1%), 2-of-10 on 3-pointers (20.0%)
  • Cam Whitmore: 12 points, 4 rebounds in 14 minutes; 5-of-10 shooting (50.0%), 2-of-6 on 3-pointers (33.3%)

As a team, the Rockets made 50-of-94 shots (53.2%) in one of their most efficient shooting nights all season. However, it didn’t matter thanks to Portland’s incredible shotmaking late in regulation and another lethargic defensive night by Houston, which ranks just 18th in defensive rating in January. That’s well below their No. 10 ranking for the 2023-24 season (it was once at No. 2), and it has a lot to do with why the slumping Rockets are 3-8 in their last 11 games.

The Rockets were again short-handed, with second-year forwards Jabari Smith Jr. (left ankle sprain) and Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management) still sidelined and Jae’Sean Tate (left wrist strain) missing his only his third game of the 2023-24 season.

Here’s our look at Wednesday’s highlights and postgame interviews, along with reaction by media members and fans. Next up for the Rockets is a road back-to-back, starting Friday night in Charlotte (10-31) and continuing to Brooklyn (17-26) on Saturday afternoon.

Chauncey Billups still sees potential star in Houston’s Jalen Green

“I think he’s gonna be just fine,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups says of slumping Rockets guard Jalen Green. “He’s definitely got a chance to be a star.”

When compared to his first two NBA seasons, 2023-24 is a statistical step back for third-year Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green.

After posting a team-high 22.1 points per game last season on 41.7% shooting and 33.8% from 3-point range, those numbers have dipped to 17.1 points on 39.7% shooting (32.0% on 3-pointers) this year.

But there are some extenuating circumstances. For starters, there’s a new coach, Ime Udoka, and a new system.

Beyond that, in Green’s first two NBA seasons, the Rockets went 20-62 and 22-60, respectively. This year, Houston (20-22) has become competitive. With that jump comes higher expectations and a new reality, such as Udoka occasionally keeping Green out of his closing lineup — should the 21-year-old be having a bad night.

The Portland Trail Blazers, who faced Green and the Rockets on Wednesday night in Houston, have their own example of a young shooting guard who didn’t break out until his fourth NBA season.

Over his first three NBA seasons, Anfernee Simons averaged 7.5 points per game. Starting with Season 4, however, Simons has bumped that to an average of approximately 20 points per game on strong efficiency (44.1% FG, 38.9% on 3-pointers), and he’s averaging a career-high 22.5 points and 4.8 assists this season.

Chauncey Billups, a former guard who didn’t fully hit his stride until landing on his fifth NBA team in Detroit, coaches Simons with the Trail Blazers. In pregame comments to reporters from Toyota Center, Billups made it clear he’s still a believer in what Green can do with the Rockets, and he still sees a path to stardom for the No. 2 pick from the first round of the 2021 NBA draft.

Here’s what Billups told Rockets Wire of Green’s future:

I just think that Jalen kid is uber-talented. He’s uber-aggressive out there.

It takes guards a lot more time. I would say point guards, more, but even in his position, as a two guard. Because when you get to this league, for the first time, you’re playing against players that are better than you. You’ve been the best on your team since you’ve been playing, but then you get here, and you’ve got to find a way to try to do that again. But you’ve also got teammates that are trying to prove things, too. So, it can’t just be about you. You’ve got to learn how to sacrifice, and learn how to be in that space.

In this case, he went through a change with the coach, and now he’s learning that system and learning how to play with some of those veterans. I think he’s gonna be just fine. He’s definitely got a chance to be a star.

With Green and Simons facing each other, the tip between the Rockets and Trail Blazers (12-31) is 7 p.m. Central.

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