With the accumulation of injuries, the Portland Trail Blazers declined to say they were dying and teamed up to blow out the Philadelphia 76ers 121-105 in one of the most entertaining games of the season. It wasn’t even that close.
Just as we all expected.
With Damian Lillard on the pine tree nursing a stomachache, the Blazers found themselves facing the hottest team in the league on the road with four starters, which would normally indicate a five-alarm disaster. But with nonexistent expectations, Portland’s backups (along with Robert Covington, the lone survivor of the starting lineup) yielded an inspired, scrappy performance worthy of in the annals of memorable and thrilling (if not otherwise usually insignificant) regular seasons to appear. tradition.
Even with the one and only point guard remaining in the rotation (Anfernee Simons) with a minute limit, the Blazers were somehow the most balanced and energetic team on the field throughout the evening. If you look up “ragtag” in the dictionary, there should be a picture of this group digging out an attacking rebound. Six Blazers scored in double digits (Covington barely missed with nine), making for a solid group effort to keep Portland alive in the standings, where they improved to 12-9.
They did it by setting the pace early with outdoor shots. It was by no means a barrage, but they dropped a pair of threes and that seemed to give them enough confidence to keep it rolling. The team finished 13-31, which won’t set any records, but unlike the Sixers’ paltry 7-27, most of which were out of reach after the game, offered enough of a boon to overcome the glaring lack of staff. overcome. , even with Philadelphia playing without Ben Simmons.
Philadelphia was shocked early on when Joel Embiid, who has been at MVP level so far this season, clumsily fell to his knee after blocking an Enes Kanter layup in the transition. Embiid went to the locker room but returned to the game shortly after, and all fears were immediately quelled when he absolutely hit the Blazers. 31 of his 37 points came in the first half, and even when the team fired on all cylinders, it seemed like a draw was waiting for the finish line by a draw.
It was anything but. Portland destroyed the Sixers in the third quarter 40-19 behind Simons and the coming-out match for CJ Elleby, who submitted the best game of his young career with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and a bargain. After the starters set the tone for maximum effort, Elleby set the intensity to 11 and took part in several hustle plays that turned this match from a match into a giggle.
There are praises up and down in the selection. Gary Trent Jr. led the scoring attack with 24 points, although he fell hard late in the fourth quarter after a hard shot from Dwight Howard on a retrieval attempt. Kanter was a beast in the paint and placed another double double of 17 points and 18 plates. Carmelo Anthony was efficient with 22 points on 14 shots. Awards can be thrown away like candy – stay tuned for more information in the comprehensive recap.
Box Score
What’s next
The Blazers get a day off before heading to the Big Apple to beat the New York Knicks at 10:00 AM on Saturday morning.