Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson meet in NBA: ‘Talking about this matchup for a long time’

Two rookies who have garnered national hype since last year’s NBA Draft squared off in Charlotte Wednesday night.

Brandon Miller of the Hornets and Sterling “Scoot” Henderson of the Trail Blazers met for the first time since being chosen second and third in last April’s draft.

Both made big plays down the stretch, but Portland held on to beat Charlotte, 89-86.

Henderson, a former G League standout, scored 22 points for Portland (20-56) . Miller led the Hornets (18-58) with 21 points.

“Just to go against each other early in our careers — like, there’s gonna be even more fun in the long run,” Henderson told reporters. “(Miller) can shoot it really, really well. Off the dribble, catch and shoot. That really stuck out to me.”

The Trail Blazers led for nearly the entire night, but the Hornets kept them close. Miller knocked down a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that lifted Charlotte to a two-point advantage.

Henderson made a basket with just over a minute left that gave the Blazers a two-possession lead. Miller answered by nailing a triple that pulled the Hornets within a point.

And he continued.

Miller drove the offense back upcourt after a quick layup by center DeAndre Ayton — whose 24 points led Portland — and hit a jumper from the elbow. Then it was Henderson’s turn. But he couldn’t capitalize.

With nearly all of the impassioned 14,209 inside Spectrum Center on their feet, Henderson went to the free throw line and missed both attempts.

The rebound ended up in the hands of Miller. He brought it up with roughly eight seconds left, drove toward the basket — and got called for the charge.

“It was funny because (Miller) was talking about one of the coverages that we’re in, and he could tell the way defenses were playing him,” said Portland forward Jabari Walker, who played 41 minutes and scored 14 points. “You can just tell that he’s going to get used to seeing different coverages on him. He’s really poised, he takes his time and you can tell he puts a lot of work in.”

“(Henderson) can do a bit of everything, tonight he was knocking down 3s,” Miller said. “A big physical guard who can get downhill and finish around the rim and create. I think it’s a good fit for him in Portland, because he has pieces around him who can knock down shots. So you know he’s going to have a great career and I look forward to playing against him again.”

The Hornets hosted both Miller and Henderson for workouts prior to last year’s NBA Draft in which they held the second overall selection, knowing they would likely be following international sensation Victor Wembanyama, who was picked first by San Antonio.

Miller had been a strong competitor in college at Alabama. His positional size and versatility, combined with his shooting ability, stood out to the Hornets. The team valued Henderson’s talents as well, but Miller was the one they wanted more.

“They will always be compared to one another,” said Portland head coach Chauncey Billups. “Personally, I just want to see them both go out and try to prove that they’re the best. Both guys are highly competitive that way, highly confident that way — both guys. I want to see them go out and get after it.

“These kind of games set the tone. They’re both going to have really long careers and they’ll always be connected this way. They’ll be talking about this matchup for a long time.”