Portland Trail Blazers shocked the basketball world when they earned 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 heartwarming successes came from French shooter Rayan Rupert.

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

“I’m very happy,” Rupert said, according to Johnny Askounis from EuroHoops.net. “They always have my back. They push me every time, even when I’m not playing anymore. I just try to stay ready. I love these guys.”

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

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

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

The Trail Blazers’ victory was a shock to everyone, bringing their win-loss record to 2-3 for the start of the 2024 NBA season. Much of this was due to the remarkable play of a few players.

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

Meanwhile, guard Anfernee Simons led the Trail Blazers 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 term.

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

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

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

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