Trail Blazers-Spurs takeaways: Scoot Henderson's emergence crucial as Portland capitalizes on Victor Wembanyama's absence

Unfortunately with no Wemby available, the smallish Spurs were exploited on the glass late and the offense collapsed down the stretch as the squad seemed to lack the connectivity and familiarity that had been its hallmark.

The emergence of Scoot Henderson

Around the six-minute mark of the first quarter, Blazers guard Scoot Henderson drilled his second 3 of the game, giving him 10 early points and the Blazers a surprise 22-9 lead over the Spurs. But it wasn’t his shot-making ability that was making the most waves. Henderson’s activity at the other end — pressuring the ball and more importantly, being an active ballhawk in passing lanes — was the key to Portland keeping Frost Bank Center on edge.

On two separate occasions, Henderson was at the heart of breaking up a Castle alley-oop and what would have been a key entry pass to Wembanyama. Henderson appeared in only 30 games during the regular season due to injury, but his defensive impact as a sharp, rangy lateral stopper is clear. Henderson ranked third in deflections per game, and the Blazers were nearly four points better per 100 possessions defensively in his minutes, good for 79th percentile.

Offensive consistency has always been an issue with the 22-year-old electric guard, but he seems to be figuring things out on the biggest stage and his penchant for making defensive plays — even in his limited time — is a huge chunk of the Blazers’ viability.

Henderson scored five points in the last five minutes of the game and was vital as Portland closed things out down the stretch.

Henderson led all scorers in Game 2 with 31 points, hitting five 3s and finishing plus-9 in what seemed to be a legit breakout performance.

Spurs will need to step up

When Spurs reserve Keldon Johnson first stepped on the floor, his team trailed 17-9 and looked like it was sleepwalking. By the time the buzzer for the first quarter sounded and Johnson walked off the floor, San Antonio had retaken the lead.

Johnson's plus-9 led all players on the floor at the time, an indication of his simple approach to basketball that continues to yield positive results. Johnson's game isn't particulalrly flashy — he recorded a steal, assist and rebound during his initial stint — but his constant motor, energy and intangibles are vital for a team that was somewhat lethargic to begin the game.

The combination of Johnson and rookie guard Harper — the latter of which continues to provide a huge boost in the playmaking, downhill driving and gravitational department but seemed to aggravate his wrist Tuesday night— is an underlying storyline in a series that just got a whole lot more interesting.

Johnson finished the game plus-7 with 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, but more will be needed if Wembanyama misses Game 3 in Portland.