Portland Trail Blazers vs Charlotte Hornets — 101:103, NBA

Charlotte edged Portland 103-101 in a tightly contested NBA finish, using a rebounding advantage and timely perimeter shooting to hold off a late Trail Blazers push. The Hornets won by two despite shooting 40.0% from the field (20-of-50), leaning on second-chance opportunities and balance to offset Portland’s efficient night inside the arc (46.0% on 19-of-41). Portland’s offense was led by Jerami Grant, who scored 24 points, with Deni Avdija adding 22 and Scoot Henderson contributing 17. The Blazers generated 23 assists and stayed within striking distance throughout, but their margin for error narrowed as Charlotte controlled the glass 52-42 and limited Portland’s ability to finish possessions with stops. Brandon Miller paced the Hornets with 23 points, while K. Knueppel added 15 as Charlotte hit 14 three-pointers (14-of-38). Portland also connected from deep (16-of-42), keeping the game close into the final minutes, but Charlotte’s extra rebounds and ability to answer key shots late proved decisive. The result gives Charlotte a narrow win to build on, with the rebounding edge standing out as a repeatable formula when shots aren’t falling at a high rate. For Portland, the scoring output from Grant and Avdija and the team’s assist total were positives, but the Blazers will look to tighten up their defensive rebounding and late-game execution in future close finishes.