Watch: Anfernee Simons sinks Nets with game-winner
Dame Time is over in Portland. Wednesday night, it was Anfernee Time.
24-year-old Anfernee Simons shook off an illness to score 20 points in a 105-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Simons hit the game-winner with 0.2 seconds on the clock to win it, shaking Mikal Bridges and dropping in a floater over the outstretched arms of Nic Claxton.
Portland trailed by nine points going into the fourth quarter, but they fought back thanks to Simons, who scored 13 of his 20 points in the final quarter. Before his game-winner, Simons tied the game with a difficult shot over Bridges to make it 101-101.
Still, it wasn’t a one-man show for the Blazers. Jerami Grant had 14 points of his own in the fourth, meaning he and Simons combined for 27 of Portland’s 31 points in the period. The biggest bucket came after the Blazers missed two shots in a row late, but Grant put in the team’s second offensive board of the possession.
It was Portland’s second win over the Nets in eleven days, while Brooklyn lost their fourth straight. They came heartbreakingly close after Cameron Johnson got past Grant for a layup to tie the game with five seconds to go.
Ultimately, the Nets couldn’t stop Simons late. Or get an offensive rebound.
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