----- Anfernee Simons scored 14 points and Scoot Henderson finished with seven points and six assists in his Trail Blazers debut as Portland topped the New Zealand Breakers 106-66 Tuesday night at Moda Center.
As you might expect from a new team with a number of young players, the Trail Blazers were sloppy in their preseason opener Tuesday night at Moda Center.
Anfernee Simons scored 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range and DeAndre Ayton finished with eight points and six rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers used a strong second half to down the New Zealand Breakers 106-66.
Scoot Henderson finished with seven points and six assists in his NBA debut. His best play came in the second quarter when he drove into the teeth of the defense and when met by defenders he flipped a pass out to Matisse Thybulle for a three-pointer.
The Trail Blazers struggled in the first half with poor shooting and 14 turnovers.
“Offensively, I thought we just had a lot of nervous energy,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “Everybody was in a rush, you know, and I thought it would kind of calm down a little bit and it really didn’t until the young guys kind of got in there in the second half and they were just playing so dang hard – and then you get steals and get out and fast break and that makes everything easy. Overall, I think it was good to get that one out of the way.”
Up Next- Trail Blazers host the Suns Thursday night at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Looking forward to more of the actions with Scoot and Ayton.