Henderson turns it around

Scoot Henderson opened Portland’s first-round series as a question mark and heads into Game 3 as the player who swung it. He scored a season-high 31 points Tuesday night as the Trail Blazers beat San Antonio 106-103 and tied the series 1-1. (espn.com) Portland is the No. 7 seed in the West after coming through the play-in, and its series with the No. 2 Spurs shifts to Oregon on Friday, April 24, with Game 3 set for 10:30 p.m. Eastern. The 2026 playoffs began April 18, and the first round is a best-of-seven format. (espn.com) Henderson shot 11-for-17 from the field in Game 2 and made five 3-pointers in 38 minutes. CBS Sports said he hit the biggest shot of his career with under three minutes left and noted he is 7-for-13 from deep through the first two games. (espn.com, cbssports.com) That line landed after a regular season cut short by injury. ESPN reported Henderson missed 52 games with a badly torn hamstring, returned in early February, and started only 10 of the 30 games he played in 2025-26. (espn.com) The draft context has followed him since 2023. Henderson was the No. 3 overall pick, two spots behind Victor Wembanyama, and ESPN wrote that injuries and uneven play slowed his progress through his first three seasons. (espn.com, basketball-reference.com) CBS Sports tied the playoff surge to one specific skill: shooting. The outlet reported Henderson made more than 40% of his 3-pointers over the final 20 games of the regular season and had a 28-game stretch last season at 42% from deep on five attempts per game. (cbssports.com) His overall 2025-26 regular-season numbers were still modest: 14.2 points, 3.7 assists and 41.8% shooting across 30 games, according to Basketball-Reference. His playoff average through two games is already above that scoring mark, with 14.2 points listed on his 2025-26 postseason log after his first appearance in the bracket. (basketball-reference.com) San Antonio has its own complication entering Game 3. Victor Wembanyama left Game 2 after a hard fall and entered concussion protocol, a loss CBS Sports called the bigger story of Portland’s comeback even with Henderson leading the Blazers in scoring. (cbssports.com, nba.com) Portland’s immediate test is whether Henderson can do it again at home. The same player who spent much of this season on a minutes limit now has the Trail Blazers back on level terms in their first playoff appearance since 2021. (espn.com, cbssports.com)