PORTLAND, Ore. — Anfernee Simons erupted for 38 points in the Trail Blazers' loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. Simons had a massive night after a couple quiet scoring games, showing his star potential once again even with a depleted roster around him. He's just really good.
The Blazers have lost four straight coming out of the All-Star break which has quickly dashed any hopes of a play-in tournament run. This team is chasing losses and doing so with gusto, which means it's time to turn our eyes to the New Orleans Pelicans. Portland really needs New Orleans to falter down the stretch and miss the playoffs. It's crucially important to the Blazers' short- and long-term success.
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Finally, we've talked about losing and why it's important but it's worth taking a closer look at the lottery odds for the Blazers as they continue to fall down the standings. Portland is losing admirably but they gotta keep it up and they could use some wins from Sacramento and San Antonio to help the cause along the way.
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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.
