PORTLAND, Ore. — Anfernee Simons had the best game of his career on Monday night, finishing with 43 points and seven assists to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 136-131 win over the Atlanta Hawks at the Moda Center. Simons' set a career-high for scoring and became the youngest Blazers player ever to score at least 40 points in a game.
It was a special night and it came on the heels of a family tragedy. Simons' maternal grandfather passed away on Sunday night and the Blazers guard dedicated this career night to his grandfather after the game. Simons also spoke at length about his relationship with his grandfather and how basketball can be cathartic for athletes dealing with loss.
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About Locked On Blazers
Mike Richman has covered the Portland Trail Blazers in various capacities since 2014 as a beat writer for The Oregonian, a reporter at NBC Sports Northwest and now in the form of the only daily Trail Blazers podcast, Locked On Blazers. The Pass First Point Guard will get you closer to the team with reports from inside the Moda Center and by unpacking the statistics to know and about your favorite team. You will also find regular guests and can get your questions answered with weekly mailbag shows.
If you would like to participate in the weekly mailbag show, submit your questions to @mikegrich on Twitter or email lockedonblazerspod@gmail.com.
Locked On Blazers is the best way to stay up to date on the latest happenings in the Portland basketball world. It’s available wherever you get podcasts and on YouTube with new shows every weekday.
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