Scoot Henderson scored 31 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 106-103 upset victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of their first-round NBA playoff series on Tuesday night. The win evened the series at 1-1 after Portland erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. Henderson, the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, shot 11 of 17 from the field and 5 of 9 from three-point range.
The Trail Blazers overcame several factors in the close contest, including San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama exiting in the second quarter with a concussion. The Spurs struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 29%. Portland received strong contributions from Jrue Holiday, who anchored the defense, Robert Williams with a +13 plus-minus in 23 bench minutes, and Toumani Camara, who drained two crucial fourth-quarter threes. Henderson sealed the comeback with under three minutes remaining, hitting the biggest shot of his career to pull Portland within one point. He finished with five three-pointers, continuing his hot streak of 7 for 13 from deep in the series and over 40% in the final 20 regular-season games. Three years after being drafted third overall—prompting Portland to trade franchise icon Damian Lillard—Henderson has shown marked improvement. The 6-foot-2 guard, who skipped college for the G League, has developed better control and efficiency, scoring fluidly off the dribble, catch, pull-ups, and spot-ups. While he still works on rim finishes, with only 36 dunks in three NBA seasons, his midrange game and patience have grown. Portland stuck with Henderson through early struggles, and his playoff emergence highlights his commitment amid past 'bust' labels.
