The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 89-86, at Spectrum Center on Wednesday.

The Trail Blazers (20-56) and the Hornets (18-58) are two eliminated teams already thinking about the 2024 NBA Draft, and the 2024-25 season. On that note, this game didn’t feature a lot of star power, and it was a low-scoring affair overall. Portland looked like the better team early on and jumped to a 30-21 lead in the first quarter. However, a 23-15 score in the second quarter for the Hornets reduced the deficit to just one point. The second half was extremely tight, and both teams went back and forth down the stretch. However, the Blazers held on, and two decisive free throws from Jabari Walker iced the game for good. With the win, the Blazers moved to 9-29 on the road. Meanwhile, the Hornets fell to 10-28 at home.

Deandre Ayton led the way for the Trail Blazers with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Scoot Henderson also had a double-double after posting 22 points and 10 assists. Jabari Walker was impressive, finishing with 14 points and a team-high 22 rebounds. Dalano Banton had 12 points coming off the bench. The Blazers shot 39.8 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from three-point range.

Brandon Miller was the leading scorer for the Hornets with 21 points and two rebounds. Grant Williams only scored five points, but he added 11 assists and seven rebounds. Tre Mann had 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals. Aleksej Pokusevski notched 11 points off the bench. The Hornets shot 41 percent from the field and 16.1 percent from three-point range.