The Portland Trail Blazers, playing their second summer league game without Scoot Henderson, defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 97-93 Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe got off to a slow start but shined in the fourth quarter. He finished the night with 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
Good from start to finish was rookie forward Kris Murray, the No. 23 pick in last month’s NBA draft. He scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and had seven rebounds. Murray made 4 of 7 threes.
Henderson, who injured his right shoulder during Friday’s opening game against Houston, also missed the team’s win Sunday over San Antonio but had not yet been rule out for the rest of summer League.
The Blazers (2-1) remained in the hunt for a playoff berth while the Hornets moved fell to 0-3.
Guard Nick Smith Jr., the 27th pick in 2023 draft, put on a dazzling display for the Hornets, scoring 33 points on 13-of-20 shooting. His baseline floater made the score 91-90, Blazers with 38 seconds remaining.
But Sharpe answered with a three to push the Blazers’ lead to 94-90 with 14.7 seconds on the clock.
Charlotte forward Brandon Miller, the No. 2 pick in last month’s draft, scored 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 11: Shaedon Sharpe #17 of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots the ball against Kai Jones #23 of the Charlotte Hornets at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 11, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)Getty Images
NEXT UP: The Blazers face the Orlando Magic at 6 p.m. Thursday (ESPN2).
— Aaron Fentress reported from Las Vegas.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook). Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts