The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Toronto Raptors 114-105 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, closing out a long, arduous road trip by building a 30-point lead and almost squandering it before the final buzzer. The victory moves the Blazers 20-26 on the season, including a stunning 4-2 since they last took the floor in Rip City.
“It was an incredible trip,” Chauncey Billups said after the game. “I'm so proud of our guys. We're really becoming a unit, and I'm really happy about that.”
A whopping seven players scored nine points or more for Portland, which raced out to a 25-4 lead on the strength of palpable energy and hot outside shooting, both of which Toronto failed to match. The Raptors opened the game 1-of-15 from the field and shot just 22.9% in the first half overall, falling behind 64-34 at intermission. But Nick Nurse's team left the halftime locker room inspired, picking up its intensity and deploying a full-court press that occasionally left the Blazers—playing without Damian Lillard, remember—flummoxed.
Toronto cut the lead to 104-101 on a pull-up triple from Fred Van Vleet with 1:24 left. Anfernee Simons hit consecutive catch-and-shoot threes on Portland's next two possessions, though, cinching a victory that never should've been in doubt.
🐜 bang bang 🐜 pic.twitter.com/DGtl4IJ6El
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 24, 2022
Asked by Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian what he was thinking when the Raptors pulled within two possessions late, Nassir Little deemed it best to keep his words to himself.
“I can't say what was on my mind at that point,” he said, laughing.
Little proved instrumental in Portland's insurmountable early advantage, scoring 10 points over the first six-and-a-half minutes of the game. He sprinted the floor in transition for a soaring two-handed dunk and drained a pair of spot-up threes, also playing a key role in the Blazers' aggressive, active defense on the other side of the floor.
Little finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block, registering a team-high +20 plus-minus. The third-year forward shot 8-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep, combining his rare physical tools and relentless competitive drive with budding skill and feel offensively.
Simons has received widespread adulation for his breakout performance of late. Almost just as important for Portland, though, has been Little continuing to cement himself as a two-way building block, a development of which Lillard has taken notice.
“I’ve gotten a lot of entertainment and satisfaction watching Ant, watching Nas,” the eight-time All-Star said on Saturday, meeting with media for the first time since undergoing surgery on his midsection. “These are guys, they came here 18, 19 years old, and I was with them in the summer and on the court with them and constantly being in their ear and wanting to be a part of their developments because I knew their talent level and I knew they could be pieces that could help us make that leap at some point. So as hard as it is to watch, it’s been fun for me to watch.”
That's a way to start the game!
💥 NAS 💥 pic.twitter.com/t3E5DFupik
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 23, 2022
Lillard, obviously, isn't on the floor now to shepherd the Blazers' young players through their ongoing NBA evolution. But his influence remains behind every step Little is taking regardless.
“Dame has been super pivotal for me, man. This isn't a matter of him riding the wave of me playing well, and now he's saying all this type of stuff. Dame has genuinely believed in me from day one, since I got to the league,” Little said after the game. “I really appreciate that. He's just been a guy that I can talk to and bounce my ideas off, and tell him how I'm feeling or what I'm seeing on the court. He's just helped me try to see the game in a different way. So I'm very appreciative of him and his support for me.”
Depending on where Portland sits in the standings once he's healthy, Lillard admitted again on Saturday that he may not return to the floor this season. Even if they don't win enough to ensure their best player comes back, though, the Blazers can take immense solace from the game-by-game growth of not just Simons, but Little as well.
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