The Portland Trail Blazers went into Orlando and made life very difficult for the Magic en route to a 101-79 win on the road. With a lid on the basked sealed more tightly than a staff-only door at Disney World, the Magic never had much of a chance shooting 34% and a dismal 24% from deep on 25 attempts.
It was a game of notable stats (including one we’ll save for Stat of the Night), with a season-high 12 rebounds for Robert Williams III, an unceremonious six fouls for Scoot Henderson (the second time he’s fouled out in his young career), and the 79 points Portland allowed being the fewest of the season by far, blowing away their previous low of 98 points.
Blazer of the Game: Anfernee Simons. Was it a perfect game? No, but Simons provided the every-down offense Portland needed to turn what otherwise would have been just a run-of-the-mill low-scoring game for both teams into a blowout.
Stat of the Night: 5 steals… in the first half… from one Blazer: Jabari Walker. It’s not every day you get a career high in any statistical category, and it’s almost unheard of it get it done in a single half, but that’s exactly what Walker did tonight.
What We’ll Remember: A futility of Orlando scoring. The teams combined for just 86 first-half points; the 39 points the Blazers gave up were the second-fewest they’ve allowed in a half all season (37 to the Pelicans on Oct. 25); and 59 points is the fewest points the Blazers have allowed through three quarters in four years (April 3, 2021 vs. OKC).
What’s Next: Into the Hornets’ nest. Portland travels to the northernmost Carolina to take on Charlotte tomorrow, Fri. Jan. 24 at 4pm Pacific.
Stay Tuned: Blazer’s Edge legend Conor Bergin will bring your extended recap later tonight.
