Portland Trail Blazers show life in loss to New Orleans Pelicans

Wait a minute, doctor, the Portland Trail Blazers have a pulse.

After an embarrassing 36-point opening night loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Blazers showed life at home against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. The Blazers took the fight to their opponents with physical interior defense, Jerami Grant's 3-pointers and controlled chaos from Scoot Henderson.

The Blazers still lost 105-103, but the performance was clear. much tastier.

“This is definitely more of who we are,” Portland head coach Chauncey Billups said after the game. “We will compete, we will be eliminated. … We didn’t get the win, but we put in a good effort.”

Friday evening almost felt like an exhalation. A bit of a confidence boost for Portland's development this season. The Blazers probably won't win many games this season, but they can be competitive and respectable. You can show worthwhile development and start building a foundation. Friday was a clear step in that direction.

“(The game was) much better, much better than the beginning of the night,” said Grant, who led Portland with 34 points and eight three-pointers, the most of his career. “I think we’ve stepped up our game a little bit.”

Friday night also felt like a sigh of relief in terms of the hopes surrounding Henderson. As the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the microscope was trained on the 20-year-old point guard, and the detailed examination is well documented. Against the Pelicans, Henderson put together one of his most complete and efficient games as a Blazer. He left his hyper-energetic mark on the game with 15 points, six assists, three steals and one rebound in 29 minutes.

Henderson seemed much more comfortable and in control leading the team. He got deeper into the lane and hung up in the air less, which helped him make safer passes. The control was evident in his interior play, one of the most reviled aspects of his short NBA career. Henderson shot 7-9 from the field, including a perfect 5-5 on shots from inside the field, while showcasing his high athleticism on acrobatic finishes.

“He’s learning how to achieve the goal in different ways,” Billups said. “But when he attacks the basket with the ferocity he showed tonight, even some of them (bigger centers) get in trouble because they never want to commit fouls.”

Henderson even served as a spark on defense. He picked off Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado multiple times, led Portland with four deflections and drew a big reaction from the crowd when he went to the floor to recover a loose ball in the second quarter. On this play, his third steal, Henderson threw the ball behind his head while still sitting. The pass found a wide-open Kris Murray for a dunk. It would have been a highlight of SportsCenter's Top 10 if the referees hadn't called Alvarado for a foul on Scoot on the pass.

The all-round performance gave Henderson final minutes and a clearer glimpse of realizing his potential.

“He’s getting better and better,” Grant added. “I think the more games he gets, the better he will be. He'll figure out his pace, the pace that works. … Tonight he found out. Hopefully he can do that again in the future.”

Henderson was part of a defensive group that stifled the Pelicans most of the night, holding All-Star forward Zion Williamson to just 16 points on 4-for-15 shooting. Rookie center Donovan Clingan (four blocks) and his teammates in the frontcourt stood vertically in the paint, repelling Pelicans players who thought they could force their way to layups. The game was a great showcase of Portland's newfound greatness across the roster.

But in the end it ended in defeat.

After the Blazers led by 15 in the first half and 13 late in the third quarter, the Pelicans' shooting picked up in the fourth quarter. A 13-0 run by the Pelicans in the final quarter turned the game around and set the stage for a decisive finish. The Blazers' two-minute offense stalled and New Orleans made one more play to win – a fadeaway by Brandon Ingram with 4.9 points remaining.

“I think it's just the attitude… They were more confident on the track than we were,” Grant said.

Billups bolstered Grant's argument, citing a “lack of focus” on a crucial play in the final two minutes. He said the players failed to reach their set, which led to a turnover. In Henderson's diagnosis of what went wrong in the loss, he mentioned the little things that add up over the course of a game – 50/50 balls, offensive rebounds, etc.

In the grand scheme of things, “little things” and late-game attitude are much more understandable blips than the issues that plagued Portland against Golden State. Topics like effort, running back on defense and “letting go of the rope,” to quote a line from Billups.

After seeing those problems on Wednesday, the remaining 81 games looked like a slog. But if the next 80 is like Portland's performance on Friday, then that's a ride a lot of people will be happy to take this season.

More game notes

Despite what you might think, the Pelicans weren't the biggest winner of the night. It was Klaus Becker, 23, from Southwest Portland. During a timeout in the third quarter, Becker came out in his Brandon Roy jersey to attempt the Toyota halfcourt shot. In 2017, no one had made the shot in 94 attempts. Then Becker buried the victory and won a Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

Becker shot the ball from a good two feet behind the line and felt like it was right the whole time.

“As soon as it left my hand,” Becker told Blazer's Edge. “Water.”

After the rush, Becker raised his arms triumphantly like mascots, his friend Nate and others besieging him. He signaled “3” with his fingers and even tapped his wrist to pay homage to Blazers legend Damian Lillard and Dame Time. Becker, a recent graduate of Montana State University, said he will put the new car to good use.

“I drive my dad’s car, so that’s great for me,” Becker said. “This is really great. I think my dad will be very excited.”

• After being left out of the main rotation on Wednesday, Jabari Walker was the first major player to enter the game against the Pelicans with 3:59 left in the first quarter. He played 17 minutes and scored two points and four rebounds.
• After Walker entered the rotation, forward Rayan Rupert got the short end of the stick. Rupert was a DNP coaching decision.
• In one of the more colorful soundbites of the early season, Henderson said he felt like Magic Johnson when he made that behind-the-head pass. He also added some sound effects to the description. You can watch the postgame portion of his interview starting at the 2:12 mark of this video here.
• Billups said Clingan “just tweaked his ankle a little bit” during the game. Despite this issue, Billups was happy with the rookie's performance:

“I thought he was doing a little bit of work out there. I kept debating whether I should take him out or not. … But he gave us some great minutes.”