PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday came back from down 23 to beat the New York Knicks at the Moda Center. Josh Hart had 23 points in his Blazers debut, Anfernee Simons added 30 points, Jusuf Nurkic snatched 20 rebounds and Justise Winslow made a handful of crucial winning plays. The tank was off for another afternoon, but the game was legitimately fun and it gave a nice view of how Hart and Winslow can be helpful parts of the next iteration of the Blazers.
RELATED: 'A part of me will always be here in Oregon': CJ McCollum says goodbye to Blazers teammates, fans
CJ McCollum wrote a heart-melting thank you letter to the city of Portland. It was a beautiful reminder of how players become entrenched in communities and why the trade deadline is such a weird way for your life and career to change. McCollum and Hart both knew they were headed for new cities this week, but they're the exception in what is typically a bizarre time in the league and certainly was an odd few days in Portland. (starts at 11:36)
Finally, Joe Ingles is a 34-year-old who recently tore his ACL. He's never going to play for the Blazers but his presence on the roster is extremely important to Portland's summer plans. Today's show closes with an explanation of why Ingles is key to the Blazers offseason and why they wouldn't be able to chase stars without him. (starts at 22:28)
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About Locked On Blazers
Mike Richman has covered the Portland Trail Blazers in various capacities since 2014 as a beat writer for The Oregonian, a reporter at NBC Sports Northwest and now in the form of the only daily Trail Blazers podcast, Locked On Blazers. The Pass First Point Guard will get you closer to the team with reports from inside the Moda Center and by unpacking the statistics to know and about your favorite team. You will also find regular guests and can get your questions answered with weekly mailbag shows.
If you would like to participate in the weekly mailbag show, submit your questions to @mikegrich on Twitter or email lockedonblazerspod@gmail.com.
Locked On Blazers is the best way to stay up to date on the latest happenings in the Portland basketball world. It’s available wherever you get podcasts and on YouTube with new shows every weekday.
