Portland Trail Blazers shocked the basketball world when they recorded a 106-105 victory over James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The game saw excellent performances from several players. However, one of the most poignant successes came from French guard Rayan Rupert.

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

“I’m very happy,” Rupert said, according to Johnny Askunis of EuroHoops.net. “They always have my back. They push me all the time, even when I’m not playing anymore. I just try to be ready. I love these guys.”

However, love wasn’t just on Rupert’s side of the court. On the Clippers, Rupert came face to face with power forward Nicolas Batum, a fellow Frenchman and former Trail Blazer.

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

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

The Trail Blazers’ victory came as a shock to everyone, raising their win-loss record to 2-3 for the start of the 2024 NBA season. This was largely due to the outstanding play of some players.

Deandre Ayton recorded his fifth consecutive double-double, scoring 15 points and 12 rebounds in total. He also recorded an assist, a steal and a block.

Meanwhile, guard Anfernee Simons led the Trail Blazers in scoring with 25 points on 10-of-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 a 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.

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

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

However, only one other player reached double-digit points. Compare this to Portland, which saw half of its players who saw playing time score more than 10 points.

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