The Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers faced each other on Monday evening with lineups few would have recognized preseason. Joel Embiid and Paul George were out for the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey would exit early in the second half as well. Deandre Ayton and Jerami Grant missed their usual starts for the Blazers. That left one traditional “star”-level player on the floor: Portland guard Anfernee Simons. As it turned out, it was enough. Simons scored 34 as the Trail Blazers overcame a slow start to defeat the 76ers 119-102.
Here are some of the factors that defined the game.
Zzzzzzz…
You could definitely tell the Blazers played an overtime thriller 24 hours prior to this game. From the start they were a step slow in every department that requires constant effort: transition defense, close-outs at the arc, interior rotations, and even their own finishes at the cup. They managed to get down the floor on offense all night. That saved them. They could also get the first step past Philly defenders. But when it came time to rise, juke, and convert the play, they were leaning and throwing up circus shots instead of going hard with authority. Eventually tired legs even got to their three-point shooting as shot after shot hit the front of the rim, or worse, missed everything short.
Though the overall effort was less than normal, Portland at least stayed consistent. The Sixers flagged as the game progressed. One or two jolts of lightning was all it took to lift the Blazers out of the doldrums and back on top of the scoreboard.
Small or Big?
Since Ayton and Robert Williams III have been injured, opposing teams have faced a critical choice when playing the Blazers: go big and try to dominate with an unmatched center or go small to counter Portland’s speedy wing attack. The aforementioned lack of energy made that decision easier for Philadelphia today. Andre Drummond was a wrecking ball destroying the Blazers defense. He used size and experience to knock around Donovan Clingan, tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds in the first half alone. Drummond would finish with 25 and 18 rebounds in 29 minutes of play.
Offensive Rebounds
One area in which Portland excelled was offensive rebounds. They amassed an incredible 21 offensive boards in this one. Oddly enough, they only managed 17 second-chance points against 23 for Philadelphia, though the Sixers had but 14 offensive rebounds to their credit. The extra opportunities did help slow down Philly’s attack though. It’s hard to score the ball when you don’t get it.
Clingan Eval
We’ve been evaluating Donovan Clingan a little more lately since he’s been starting against a variety of opponents. The good news was, he didn’t foul out in 11 minutes tonight like he did last night in Cleveland. The realistic news is that he needs to get stronger. Drummond made mincemeat out of him down low. When the two of them contested for the ball, Clingan was never going to win that battle. His hand and arm strength need to improve as well as his lower body solidity. Clingan is big for sure. He just needs power to match that size.
Clingan did help save the game in the fourth quarter with three inside buckets, two off of dump-offs from drivers, one on an offensive rebound. When he’s in his preferred zone, he’s a steady force. He finished the game with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 29 minutes.
Simons Heater
He’s much maligned among the fanbase, but there are few things on this team as pure as Anfernee Simons heating up. With the Blazers languishing in a soporific stupor at halftime, Simons came out and scored 12 points in the first 6 minutes of the third period, propelling them to their first lead of the game. As soon as Simons checked out, the lead evaporated, When he checked back in, it magically reappeared, then redoubled.
Simons gave the Blazers life in a game they easily could have lost. Some nights there’s no substitute for a pure scorer and the distraction he causes.
Up Next
The road doesn’t get any easier. The Blazers now travel to Boston to take on the Celtics on Wednesday with a 4:00 PM, Pacific start.
