Still without Damian Lillard, the Blazers managed to win in Utah at the end of the suspense. It took a big, huge Anfernee Simons to bring down Salt Lake City.
For the detailed stats of this meeting, it’s here.
Revelation of last season in Oregon, Anfernee Simons never ceases to recover worshipers wherever he goes. In full explosion, the pocket guard proves to us this year that he has the shoulders to be a special player in this League and he does it with crazy night following night. While he had already heated the machine once morest the Knicks and Clippers this week, Ant was even stronger tonight in Utah. Damian Lillard package, the leader had carte blanche to put on the buckets and he was not asked. 45 points for Lady’s sidekick on the backcourt, 15/25 shooting and 7/12 from afar. It’s simply a new career high. We particularly remember this indecent first half (33 points!) where he carried his on his frail shoulders, making the opposing circle look like a huge swimming pool. Floater, small hook, shooting out of the screen, bomblets from afar with or without a defender glued to his coattails. Great art.
Anfernee tonight:
45 PTS
15-25 FG
7-12 3POnly Steph has more games with 7+ threes this season. pic.twitter.com/EDM88VrTeZ
— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 4, 2022
This perf is also beautiful because everything was not perfect for Ant this night, far from it. If his start to the second half is good, he gradually disappeared from the radar, losing many balls and no longer scoring a single point. His money time? 1 single shot taken and not returned. But it’s also in the low moments that we see the players who make the difference. It was he who caused (and scored) the two shots that put Portland in the lead 30 seconds from time while Utah pushed hard behind Jordan Clarkson. It is also he who will take the ball in the hands of this same Clarkson when he tried to shoot the equalizer, resulting in the decisive loss of the Jazz ball. Quite simply, indispensable gentleman.
Anfernee Simons took out the hero’s cape and the Blazers won in pain in Utah before Damian Lillard’s big comeback tomorrow. This one will find an Ant hot as embers, which has just had a week at more than 31 points on average… Normal what!
