Blazers' Scoot Henderson Involved in Car Accident, Won't Play vs Rockets

The Portland point guard is out for Saturday night.

Apr 12, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) shoots a three point basket during the second half against Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Scoot Henderson was in a mild car accident on Thursday, ahead of the club's 116-88 Friday loss to the Houston Rockets. He will miss out on the club's rematch with Houston on Saturday with what is listed as a back strain, reports Aaron J. Fentress of The Oregonian. Henderson also sat out the Friday defeat, though at the time the car accident had yet to be revealed as the cause of his absence.

Without Henderson's presence, the Trail Blazers' bench scoring suffered against Houston on Friday. Across 15 healthy bouts, the G League Ignite product is averaging 11.3 points on .406/.285/.816 shooting splits, 5.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals a night. But given that Henderson was on the shelf, reserve wings Deni Avdija and Kris Murray picked up the slack somewhat, notching a combined 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 shooting from the charity stripe.

Fentress notes that the Trail Blazers expect Henderson to be all right, and his status is considered day-to-day going forward. A source informs Fentress that the 6-foot-2 pro was in the back seat of a ride-share car when it was rear-ended.

The 6-10 Trail Blazers are hoping to secure a win against the 12-5 Rockets and end their two-game losing streak, but without Henderson or injured starting center Deandre Ayton, that could prove to be a tall task.

Veteran Houston small forward Dillon Brooks led the way against Portland, scoring a game-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor (6-of-8 from long range) and 2-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe, pulling down six rebounds, and dishing out one dime in just 24:35. Reserve forward Tari Eason also chipped in 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 shooting from the foul line, along with eight rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.

On the Trail Blazers side, no one scored over 13 points or played over 27 minutes. That's because the game quickly got away from the Trail Blazers and head coach Chauncey Billups brought in his most of reserves late into the third quarter, leaving substitute starting center Donovan Clingan in. Most distressingly, power forward Jerami Grant submitted an underwhelming game and was utterly passive on offense, scoring just five points in 26:52 of action. He's hurting his trade value with these kinds of underwhelming games.

Saturday's rematch tips off at 5 p.m. PT in the Toyota Center.

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