Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson showed his masterful confidence Thursday night at the Moda Center when he sank the Utah Jazz on a midrange fadeaway with just 0.1 seconds left. From the moment Henderson got the ball in the backfield, with less than 15 seconds left in a tied game, he had every intention of winning the game himself.

“I would have fired the last shot at the end,” Henderson told reporters after Portland’s 122-120 win. “I had the ball in my hands. You dream of plays like this.”

Starting from the pick-and-roll with Portland center Deandre Ayton, Henderson tackled Utah big man Walker Kessler, stopping abruptly in the lane to let the 7-footer fly past and converting it into a turnaround -Jumper. Isaiah Collier, Henderson’s original defender on the play, came back to make the shot more difficult. Nevertheless, with another kick of his legs, Henderson managed to win the chance and bury the ball. Then he backed away and stuck his tongue out at his teammates with a big grin.

“I would rather take that shot than sit in the corner,” Henderson told Blazers reporter Brooke Olzendam during his sideline walk-off interview.

The shot avenged Portland’s embarrassing 42-point loss to the Jazz on December 6th. It capped Henderson’s 18-point, 10-assist, one-turn performance on 50% shooting (including 3-6 from distance). And it gave the 20-year-old his first defining moment in the NBA.

“Even in the first half, I thought he played really well,” said Blazers assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren, who is briefly taking over head coaching duties as Chauncey Billups deals with a family death. “Double-digit assists and just the ground game he played. I liked his confidence.”

“I saw that Scoot has a lot of confidence and knows where he wants to go on the court,” added Blazers forward Deni Avdija about the game-winner. “I’m so happy for him because he works non-stop.”

While Henderson was the hero in the end, Avdija probably had the biggest part in the victory. He teamed with Shaedon Sharpe to score a game-high 27 points on 69.2% shooting, along with eight rebounds and six assists. The 1.90 meter tall striker had one of the best vantage points for Henderson’s shot as he was positioned on the left wing. It was a rare decisive finish for both players as they were on the bench at the start of the game but still had around 30 minutes each on the game.

Björkgren played the entire final quarter against Avdija and kept Henderson on the floor until the final 6:05. Anfernee Simons, the Blazers’ starting guard, struggled to find his shot all game, leaving 6:05 left in the final. Starting forward Jerami Grant also sat most of the time.

“I just thought this lineup really worked and I rode it the whole last part of the game,” Bjorkgren said of the decision to stick with Henderson and Avdija. “I thought this cast played with tremendous energy.”

The late-game adjustment served as a reprieve for a faction of the fan base that has called for Henderson and Avdija to get more minutes. Given the franchise’s investment in Henderson as the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, some would like to see Henderson become a higher priority in the rotation and on offense, especially toward the end of games. However, in his second season, Henderson continued to sit on the bench for around 25 minutes per game as he found it difficult to play consistently.

On Thursday, Henderson played well and earned the coveted closing time. It didn’t always look pretty – even the final version wasn’t the smoothest – but he relied on his boundless confidence and came through when it mattered most.

“When I see him make the big shot with confidence,” Avdija said of Henderson, “that’s what a player needs – to keep shooting and keep believing in himself.”