MINNEAPOLIS -- Even though the Trail Blazers would lose 135-121 to the Timberwolves Saturday night at the Target Center with just eight players in uniform, the game had to be a bit of a relief for Anfernee Simons.
See, with so many players sidelined with injuries -- Portland had just eight players in uniform Saturday night -- the 6-3 guard in his fourth season out of IMG Academy has drawn more than his fair share of attention from opposing defenses.
After Portland entered the All-Star break on a four-game win streak, due in large part to the play of Simons, the Golden State Warriors threw a box-and-one look at Simons, a rarely-used zone defense -- it’s been employed against Damian Lillard at times, especially in the postseason -- in their first game, a 37-point loss, after the break.