The past few games have been rough for the Portland Trail Blazers, and it doesn't seem like there's much light at the end of the tunnel for arguably the league's worst team. On Tuesday night, the Blazers, who were already missing Deandre Ayton in their NBA Cup opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, also saw Anfernee Simons have to exit the game early due to a chest injury. Per Blazers PR on X (formerly Twitter), Simons will not be returning to action later tonight.
Simons played for just the first five minutes and five seconds of the game before the Blazers had to take him out of the contest as he fell to his knees at around the halfcourt area and appeared to be in serious pain. At first, it was thought of to be a wrist or hand injury, but it became apparent that the Blazers guard was simply doing his best to catch his breath after suffering what appeared to be a blow to his chest.
For a Blazers team looking to bust out of a slump, losing their best outside threat and shot creator does not bode well. Simons also has a history of missing games due to injury; he missed 36 games last season and then 20 before that, and with the Blazers not really playing for anything more than better lottery odds, one would think that Portland will be very cautious in dealing with any injury problem.
With Simons having to go out of the game early, the Blazers thrust Scoot Henderson into the fray. Henderson, who has been in a bench role to start the season, could have his biggest opportunity of the season yet to stake his claim for a bigger role. Dalano Banton, Rayan Rupert, and Shaedon Sharpe also figure to have more touches of the basketball with Simons out.
Blazers look to bust out of terrible stretch in a big way
Even with Anfernee Simons out, the Blazers have looked like a much-different team so far through the first half of their Tuesday night contest against the Timberwolves as they lead 60-53 at the half. The team's bench mob has come to play. Dalano Banton, in particular, has been on point with his shot, scoring 12 points on 4-5 shooting while going perfect from deep on four attempts.
Robert Williams III also appears to be back in form; after missing plenty of time over the past few seasons due to recurring injury woes, Williams has been staking his claim for a bigger role in the Blazers' loaded frontcourt picture. He put up 13 points, five rebounds, one steal, and two blocks in only 11 minutes of play — looking like the Williams of yore who started for the Boston Celtics at center during their run to the NBA Finals in 2022.
This showing from the Blazers is promising, especially when their past three games have been downright disastrous. They have lost their past three games by a combined 83 points, and that simply cannot fly — even for a rebuilding team. But the NBA Cup appears to have brought the best out of them despite being shorthanded.
Follow Us
Subscribe
