In a notable occurrence, the Portland Trail Blazers fielded a lineup consisting entirely of rookies in their 114-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, marking just the second time such an event has been recorded since the inception of tracking starters on NBA box scores over 50 years ago.
Among the rookies starting for the Trail Blazers were Scoot Henderson, the third pick in the draft, along with Duop Reath, Kris Murray, Toumani Camara, and Rayan Rupert, facing off against the reigning NBA champions.
Portland Trail Blazers (Via NBA/Twitter)
This marked the first instance of an NBA team starting five rookies since the Golden State Warriors did so on April 26, 2012, as documented by the Elias Sports Bureau.
On that occasion, Klay Thompson led the lineup against the San Antonio Spurs alongside Charles Jenkins, Chris Wright, Jeremy Tyler, and Mickell Gladness in their final game of the lockout-shortened season.
Portland Trail Blazers (Via NBA/Twitter)
The tradition of tracking starters on NBA box scores dates back to the 1971-72 campaign.
Currently holding the second-worst record in the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers find themselves depleted of key players such as Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton, Shaedon Sharpe, and Malcolm Brogdon due to injuries.
Similarly, the Nuggets were without their stars Nikola Jokic (back/hip) and Jamal Murray (ankle) during the matchup.
