On Thursday night, the Portland Trail Blazers walked into Smoothie King Center in the middle of their fifth game on a six-game road trip and without two starters. By the final buzzer, those dynamics mattered very little. Thanks in large part to spirited efforts from Josh Hart and Jerami Grant — as well as an explosive scoring outburst in the middle by Anfernee Simons — Portland again chalked up an impressive win in 106-95 fashion.
As noted, the Blazers have gone 4-1 on the road during their first five on the road, bringing their record to 9-3, keeping them at No.