Sharife Cooper, Trendon Watford score their first NBA points

Portland Trail Blazers forward Trendon Watford knocks the basketball away from the Denver Nuggets’ Zeke Nnaji during an NBA game on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, at Ball Arena in Denver.

Sharifee Cooper from Auburn and Trendon Watford from Mountain Brook High School scored for the first time in an NBA regular-season game on Sunday.

Cooper made his first basket in the Atlanta Hawks’ 120-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, and Watford got his first bucket in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 124-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

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Watford’s first points came in his first NBA game. Watford made Portland’s regular-season roster as an undrafted rookie, but he had been inactive for the Trail Blazers’ first 13 games. He was on the playing roster for Sunday’s game with Portland All-Star Dame Lillard sidelined by an abdominal injury.

Watford played 6:44 in his NBA debut and had two assists in addition to his basket.

Watford missed a 6-foot floater before his first basket – a transition layup with 4:14 left to play at Ball Arena in Denver.

The Trail Blazers play the Toronto Raptors at 9 p.m. CST Monday in Portland.

Cooper had played 6:43, missed three shots and had two assists during Atlanta’s games on Oct. 21 and Oct. 25.

On Sunday, Cooper played 1:56 in his third NBA game and made his only shot, driving for a layup with 1:33 remaining to play at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

A second-round choice in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cooper has a two-way contract with the Hawks. A two-way contract allows Cooper to spend time with the NBA team and play for its NBA G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks.

Cooper had 23 points and six assists in the Skyhawks’ 116-103 loss to the Maine Red Claws on Nov. 5 and 14 points and four assists in a 113-98 loss to Maine on Nov. 7.

The Hawks play the Orlando Magic at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Atlanta. The Skyhawks’ next game comes on Friday against the Delaware Blue Coats at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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