With injuries accumulating, the Portland Trail Blazers he refused to say die, teaming up to take the Philadelphia 76ers down 121-105 in one of the funniest games of the season. It wasn’t even that close.
Just as we all expected.
With Damian Lillard walking through the pine looking after an abdominal strain, the Blazers found themselves losing four matches and facing the league’s hottest team on the road, which would normally indicate a five alarm disaster. But with nonexistent expectations, the Portland backups (along with Robert Covington, the sole survivor of the starting lineup) delivered an unstable and inspired performance, worthy of entering the annals of the memorable and exciting (if not otherwise inconsequential) regular season lore.
Even with the only point guard left in the rotation (Anfernee Simons) with a minute restriction, the Blazers somehow found themselves the most balanced and energized team on the court throughout the night. If you look up “ragtag” in the dictionary, there must be a picture of this group digging up an offensive rebound. Six Blazers scored in double digits (Covington almost lost with nine), making a solid effort in the group to keep Portland alive in the standings, where they improved to 12-9.
They did this by setting the pace at the beginning with external footage. It was by no means a dam, but they managed to get some three to fall and that seemed to give them enough confidence to keep them moving. The team finished 13-31, which will not set a record, but in contrast to the insignificant 7-27 of the Sixers, most of whom came after the game was already out of reach, from a sufficient advantage to overcome the stark shortage , even with Philadelphia playing without Ben Simmons.
Philadelphia had a big scare early on, when Joel Embiid, who had been at the MVP level so far this season, fell to his knees awkwardly after blocking an Enes Kanter tray in the transition. Embiid went to the locker room, but returned to the game shortly afterwards and any fears were immediately quelled as he proceeded to startle the Blazers. 31 of his 37 points came in the first half and, even with the team firing on all cylinders, a tie at halftime made it look like another fight until the end.
It was anything but. Portland demolished the Sixers in the third quarter by 40-19 behind Simons and CJ Elleby’s debutante party, which made the best game of its young career with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal. After the starters set the tone for the maximum effort, Elleby increased the intensity to 11, participating in several plays that turned this competition into a laugh.
There are praises to be sung up and down the list. Gary Trent Jr. led the attack with 24 points, although he fell sharply at the end of the fourth period after a strong shot by Dwight Howard in a layup attempt. Kanter was a beast in painting, posting another double-double with 17 points and 18 boards. Carmelo Anthony was efficient with 22 points from 14 shots. Compliments can be launched like candy – stay tuned for more information in the extended summary.
Points Box
What is the next
The Blazers have a day off before heading to the Big Apple to face the New York Knicks on Saturday morning at 10am.