For the Blazers, who have just started a reconstruction process, it was enough for them to have a recital from the only two mainstays left in the team, the young point guard Anfernee Simons (29 points) and the Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic (19 points and 12 rebounds).
Simons, the great promise of Portlandpointed to the Lakers scoring the last 8 points of his team.
The Blazers, who have injured the star Damian Lillardshed starters CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Robert Covington in the final week and didn’t even line up the players he received in return, Josh Hart and Eric Bledsoe, on Wednesday.
“I expected us to win this game,” acknowledged a despairing Lakers coach Frank Vogel. “We have to play with better habits.”
Curry’s Gray Night
In a duel of candidates for the Western Conferencethe Utah Jazz cruised to a prestigious 111-85 win over the Warriors from a subdued Steph Curry.
The point guard had 16 points and 7 rebounds while Canadian Andrew Wiggins, the other member of the Warriors chosen for the All-Star, did not stand out either with just 13 points.
–
