----- Damian Lillard finished with 26 points and seven assists and Shaedon Sharpe scored a career-high 17 points as the Portland Trail Blazers improved to 5-1 on the road with a 105-95 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
When Frank Sinatra record "You Make Feel So Young" I can't help but wonder if was inspired by a vision into the future of the 2022-2023 Portland Trail Blazers.
On Wednesday night, the Blazers got a glimpse of the future in their 105-95 victory over the Hornets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC.
Shaedon Sharpe scored a career-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and fellow rookie Jabari Walker finished with five points, three rebounds, and two assists in his first extended action of the season.
Chauncy Billups called timeout with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter with his team trailing 72-60. He encouraged them to pick up the intensity on defense and do a better job of protecting the glass. The result was a 26-7 run giving his team an 86-79 lead entering the final period.
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 26 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond-the-arc and Anfernee Simons chipped in 19 points and six assists.
With Jusuf Nurkic (abductor) and Jerami Grant (left ankle) out of the lineup, Drew Eubanks and Justise Winslow picked up the slack.
Eubanks finished with 14 points and eight rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting and Winslow added six points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Trendon Watford finished with eight points, six assists, and two steals in 25 minutes of action.
Portland (8-3) finished the night with 28 assists and shot 53.3% from the field.
The one problem area for Portland continues to be turnovers. The Blazers committed 18 turnovers leading to 27 points for the Hornets.
Up Next- The Blazers play the second of a back-to-back tomorrow night against the Pelicans in New Orleans. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:00 PM.
Chad's Take- I can't get enough of Shaedon Sharpe! Can't believe he's only 19.