Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson found himself in more big-moment situations during Wednesday’s 114-113 overtime loss to the New York Knicks than at any other point in his short career.
Time and time again, the Blazers put the ball in Henderson’s hands and asked him to make a play during a close game (42 lead changes) against an Eastern Conference power. And time after time, he answered the call.
The Blazers came up short, but Henderon took another step in his development. A step that he felt ready for and embraced.
“I’m comfortable in those situations,” Henderson said. “At the end of the day, it’s basketball. I’ve worked my whole life to be in those situations. You got to be careful of what you ask for if you’re scared in those situations.”
The backup point guard led the Blazers with 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting while making all four of his three-point attempts. He scored just 10 points through three quarters before pouring in 18 on 6-of-7 shooting during a back-and-forth fourth quarter.
“He started off a little rough and then he just took over the game,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “He was absolutely incredible in the game, and on both sides of the ball.”
Billups rolled with Henderson over starting point guard Anfernee Simons for most of the fourth quarter. Henderson played all 12 minutes. Simons played under six minutes while having an off night, shooting 2 of 11 from the field for six points.
“I tried to show them as much as I can, to just have that confidence in me while I’m out there,” Henderson said.
Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who scored 27 points and had 15 rebounds in the loss, called Henderson’s performance “Big time.”
“I’m proud of him,” Avdija said. “He’s not shy from the ball. He takes responsibility. He works on his game a lot and you can see it. He’s still going to have to figure out close-game situations. But he’s young, he’s super talented. And I think once he’s going to do it multiple times, he’s going to be very special. He’s special now, but he’s going to be even more.”
As usual, Henderson was more concerned with the loss than his performance.
“I should have capitalized a little bit more,” Henderson said.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. New York Knicks basketball
Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson scores in traffic during an NBA game against the New York Knicks at Moda Center on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
Henderson, 21, pointed to moments when he could have made better decisions with the ball to create opportunities for others to score. That was especially true in overtime, when he scored just two points and the team shot 3 of 14 from the field.
“I think I could have done better, but I tried to get my team organized,” he said. “Really, I was just locked in on defense, to be honest, trying not to let my man score.”
The Blazers (28-39) appeared to have the game won up 113-111 with 3.4 seconds remaining in overtime following a three-point play from Avdija. Then Mikal Bridges hit a three at the buzzer to give the Knicks (42-23) the win.
Interestingly, the Blazers are now 0-5 when Henderson reaches at least 30 points. His career high of 39 came Jan. 14 during a 132-114 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
The second-year guard reached 30 points three times last season, all losses. Those performances came in January, February and April when the Blazers had zero postseason aspirations.
The Blazers this season are playing meaningful basketball. They trail 10th-place Dallas (33-34) by five games in the Western Conference standings.
Henderson rising to the occasion with so much on the line speaks well to his improvement. The next step is to become dominant in winning situations against good teams.
“I feel like we could have won that game,” he said. “Obviously, a guy on the other side hit a big shot for the win. But I think throughout the game, we did start turning the ball over a little bit too much, including myself.”
What’s clear to Henderson is that the team’s young talent is coming around.
“I know we’re talented enough to hang with these guys,” he said. “I know we’re talented enough to beat these guys. I think we’re still one of the best young cores in the league, and we can only get better from here.”
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)