Anfernee Simons had a night to remember Monday, as he stepped up and led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 136-131 home win against the visiting Atlanta Hawks. Simons was a man possessed in that game, finishing the contest with a career-high 43 points, powered by a red-hot 9/16 shooting from behind the arc.
Following the game, Simons revealed the inspiration behind his electrifying performance, saying that he drew inspiration from his grandfather who died of cancer on Sunday.
"I dedicate this whole game to him."
Anfernee Simons' heartfelt words on his career-best 43-point game after his grandfather passed away. pic.twitter.com/WxONxCAUqn
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2022
The Blazers needed almost every point of Simons' scoring output, as the Hawks got an insane boost from Trae Young, who ended up with 56 points and 14 assists. Portland was missing its biggest guns, with Damian Lillard out because of an abdominal issue and CJ McCollum still recovering from a collapsed lung. Simons went 13/21 from the field and hit all eight of his shots from the foul line. His defense was not something to write home about, but what a night it still was for the 22-year-old shooting guard.
While it's unlikely that Simons will get that many points again on Wednesday against the Miami Heat at home, that confidence he got from his offensive explosion in the Atlanta game could be a turning point for the former first-rounder, who is averaging 12.9 points per contest, so far this season.
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