Blazers Forward ponders confrontation with ‘Big Brother’ in huge win over Clippers

The Portland Trailblazers shocked the basketball world as they earned a 106-105 victory over James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The game had excellent multiplayer performance. One of the most heartwarming successes, however, came from French shooting guard Rayan Rupert.

Rupert came off the bench for eight minutes to score seven points and record one rebound. After the match, he was incredibly grateful to play with everyone on the team.

“I’m very happy,” said Rupert per Johnny Askounis from EuroHoops.net. “They always have my back. They push me every time, even when I’m not playing anymore. I just try to stay ready. I just love these guys.”

However, love was not just on Rupert’s side of the court. On the Clippers, Rupert faced power forward Nicolas Batum, a fellow countryman and former Trail Blazer.

“He’s like a big brother to me,” Rupert said. “It’s always cool to play against him.”

Batum also came off the bench to record five points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals in 13 minutes. He was an integral part of France’s silver medal teams at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.

The Trail Blazers’ win was a shock to everyone, bringing their win-loss record to 2-3 to start the 2024 NBA season. This was largely due to the outstanding play of a number of players.

Deandre Ayton recorded his fifth straight double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 total rebounds. He also recorded one assist, one steal and one block.

Meanwhile, guard Anfernee Simons led the Trail Blazers in scoring with 25 points on 10-for-24 shooting. He also had six assists and two rebounds.

Point guard Scoot Henderson also had a great game, coming off the bench to record 14 points, six assists, three total rebounds and one steal.

While the Clippers saw excellent performances from their two stars, the rest of the team didn’t really step up to help them in the long run.

Shooting guard Norman Powell scored a game-high 30 points on 11-for-22 shooting. He also recorded a total of five rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Former MVP James Harden also had an excellent game, with 19 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals.

However, only one other player scored points in double figures. Compare this to Portland, where half of the players who saw playing time scored above 10 points.

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