Portland’s star had a rough shooting night in a loss to Charlotte.
The Portland Trail Blazers fell 93-80 to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night in a battle between two teams jockeying for lottery position.
In a game that saw the Blazers without Shaedon Sharpe, Malcolm Brogdon, and Scoot Henderson – and the Hornets without LaMelo Ball – it’s no surprise that points were hard to come by for both teams. But what was surprising was just how much Blazers guard Anfernee Simons struggled offensively.
Simons shot just 4-21 from the floor for 10 points in the Blazers’ loss. After the game, Simons spoke about his tough shooting night.
“Obviously, not making shots it’s always a frustrating night, but I think I handled it well,” said Simons. “In the past, I would get way more frustrated, but I played crappy tonight. Just got to move on.”
When asked if he was going to bother watching game film on a night where the Blazers seemingly couldn’t buy a bucket, Simons responded, “Probably not. I mean, I pretty much know exactly what happened in that game. I know every shot I missed. I know every turnover I had. I can remember it all, you know what I mean? Overanalyzing a game like this, where you just [weren’t] able to make any shots, that can carry on to the next game and you don’t want it to carry. Especially when you feel like you got good shots.”
The Blazers had a nearly historic night from behind the 3-point line, shooting 3-32 from behind the arc, with two of the three makes coming in the final 2:19 during garbage time.
There is a silver lining to the performance, the Blazers, seemingly locked in with the fifth-highest NBA Draft Lottery odds, managed to tie the Hornets in this win-column for the fourth-best odds.
Up next, the Blazers take on the Miami Heat from Moda Center on Monday night.
About the Author
Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting “The Pulse with Peter Sampson” in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer’s Edge and XRAY.FM – where his show “Blazer’s Edge Radio” was named “Portland’s Best Sports Radio” in the 2017 Willamette Week reader’s poll. When he’s not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.
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