PORTLAND, OR (SNN-TV) – Last night in Portland, the Trail Blazers hosted the Atlanta Hawks, and when the dust settled, Portland escaped with a 136-131 victory thanks to a similarly dominating outing from a lesser-known guard.
With Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum out, it was former IMG Academy guard Anfernee Simons who saved the day with 43 points of his own. That’s a new career high for Simons, but what makes this night truly special for the young guard are the circumstances he was playing through.
After the game, Simons revealed that his grandfather died of cancer Sunday. The Altamonte Springs native said his grandfather empowered his performance on Monday night.
“He would want me to play today. So, I wanted to out there and play my game, at the best of my abilities. That was all him that took over my body tonight.”
Simons was enrolled in IMG Academy’s Post Graduate program for the 2017-2018 season, and averaged nearly 23 points per game.
