With ten players sitting out with injuries, the Portland Trail Blazers came into their game with the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight with all the charm and panache of one of those knock-off tablets that makes you force a smile when receiving it as a Christmas gift. No matter what the logo says, this isn’t going to do much.
As it turned out, this gift was a surprisingly good value. Anfernee Simons scored 38. The no-name cast around him played hard all game long, rebounding and running with abandon, playing unselfishly and far above their heads. Saying the Blazers were good would be a stretch.