LAS VEGAS -- The Trail Blazers kept their hopes of repeating as Las Vegas Summer League champions with a 97-93 victory versus the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday night at Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.
The Trail Blazers are now 2-1 at the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League with at least two more games to play. Currently in eighth place, Portland will need to defeat the Orlando Magic in their final scheduled game on Thursday at 6 p.m. if they are to have any chance of advancing to the Las Vegas Summer League Tournament semifinals. Only the top four teams after the first four games will have a chance to compete for the Summer League Tournament championship.
Tuesday’s game versus the Hornets played out in a similar fashion to their two previous games in Las Vegas. Portland led for most of the game, in the case of Tuesday’s contest, by as many as 15, though Charlotte managed to cut the lead to just one with 38 seconds to play.
But on the ensuing possession, Shaedon Sharpe was able to get enough space after a Doup Reath screen to rise up and convert a 25-foot three-pointer to push Portland’s lead back to two possessions with 13.8 seconds to play. And unlike in their Summer League opening loss to the Rockets, the Trail Blazers executed on both ends in the final moments of the game to come away with the win.
Sharpe led Portland with 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting rom three, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 31 minutes. Kris Murray had his best game of summer league thus far, going 7-of-12 from the fie4ld and 4-of-7 from three for 19 points to go with seven rebounds in 32 minutes.
Jabari Walker added 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in 25 minutes. Reath continued his strong play in Las Vegas, posting 12 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two assists and two steals in 23 minutes. Justin Minaya scored five of his nine points in the final three seconds of the first quarter.
Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. led all scorers with 33 points. Brandon Miller, the second overall pick of the 2023 Draft, posted 26 points and six rebounds in 31 minutes.