Simmons Jr. made a comeback
Simmons Jr.'s absence has ended the Portland Blazers' winning streak, but it doesn't matter, the 22-year-old has proven himself, and McCollum's return is just around the corner, and the Blazers want to hit the playoffs, not without a chance. In this way, the absence of Lillard and McCollum is not bad news, at least it gives Simmons Jr. a chance, and also gives the team an extra choice in the future schedule. In this game, the Blazers will travel to the away game to challenge the Washington Wizards.
In Bradley Beal's absence, Kuzma led the team to a three-game winning streak, once again bringing the team back into the top eight in the East. Pop also said in the interview that the conflict between himself and Harrell has been resolved, which is undoubtedly the best news for the Wizards.
The course of the game
Although it was an away game, simmons Jr. immediately showed his offensive talent after his return, bombarding 11 points, 3 assists and 1 steal in a single quarter, Nurkic also had 4 points and 9 rebounds, the Blazers scored 29 points in a single quarter, and the Wizards only scored 24 points, including Dinwiddie 8 points and 2 assists. After returning from the second quarter, Dinwiddie had 8 points and 2 assists, and only took 2 shots, And Keyspert also hit 2 three-pointers, and the Wizards recovered, scoring 33 points in a single quarter, but the point difference continued to widen.
Simmons Jr.'s madness continued, scoring 11 points in the first quarter, shooting 5-of-7 in the second quarter, 6 from three-point range and 4 in China, with 15 points and 3 assists in the single quarter, Nurkic with 9 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and the Blazers 39 points in the single quarter, leading the Wizards by 11 points at the end of the half. In the second half, Simmons Jr. lost his grip and did not score a point on 0-of-3 shooting, but even so, the Blazers still scored 26 points in a single quarter, and the Wizards did not seize the opportunity, and the point difference was 14 points.
In the final quarter of the game, the Wizards continued to catch up, A-Holliday bombed 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in the single quarter, and after Pope hit a shot, the point difference directly came to 7 points. Simmons rode an archery to stabilize the situation, Dinwiddie responded with three points, Simmons made two free throws and one shot, and Dinwiddie hit another three. But it was too late, and in the end, the Portland Trail Blazers narrowly defeated the Washington Wizards 115-110.
Comeback and win
In the first game of Simmons Jr.'s comeback, he led the team to defeat the Washington Wizards, although the Washington Wizards are not a strong team, but they are definitely not weak, and the only thing that can be said is that Simmons Jr. is indeed gradually replacing Lillard. This season, if you let Lillard lead the team, the Blazers will have a hard time getting into the playoffs, but if it's Simmons Jr. now, there are a lot of opportunities, so Lillard is not irreplaceable. In this game, Simmons Jr. shot 7-of-14 from three-point range and had 31 points, 11 assists and 2 steals, once again stunning everyone.
Of course, Nurkic's 23 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals on 9-of-15 shooting were also credited. On the Wizards side, Dinwiddie scored 27 points and 7 assists, and the offensive state gradually picked up, Kuzma did not feel good, only 16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks on 7-of-18 shooting, and Harrell on the bench was 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists on 8-of-10 shooting. The Wizards lost the game, ending a three-game winning streak, and then facing players like the 76ers and the Nets and Raptors, so to speak, this may just be the beginning of the losing streak.