LAS VEGAS — Anfernee Simons scored 35 points but suffered an ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of the Portland Trail Blazers’ 97-93 loss to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday in the NBA Summer League.
The 2018 first-round pick started off the game red-hot, hitting on his first five three-pointers. Simons finished the game 13 of 18 shooting, including 6 of 7 from beyond the arc. He also had six rebounds and two assists.
Highlights: Simons scores 35 points
It was the second straight strong game for Simons, who appears to be in line for a larger role in the Blazers' rotation during the 2019-20 season. He scored 16 points in the Blazers’ win against the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
But Simons did provide a scare for Blazers fans when in the final moments of the game he suffered a right ankle sprain after coming down from a hard drive to the basket. The good news for Rip City is that the injury doesn’t appear to be significant.
Gary Trent Jr., coming off a masterful 31-point performance, scored 12 points on an inefficient 4 of 15 shooting night. Jaylen Hoard, who signed a two-way contract with the Blazers earlier this summer, scored 6 points in 19 minutes. Blazers first-round pick Nassir Little had 4 points, including a monster slam dunk, in 22 minutes.
The loss drops the Blazers to 1-2 so far in Summer League. Their next game is Thursday at 5 p.m. against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game will be televised on NBA TV.
Game highlights: Jazz beat Blazers 97-93
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