----- Anfernee Simons connected on a pull-up jumper in the lane with 0.2 seconds remaining as the Portland Trail Blazers handed the Brooklyn Nets a 105-103 loss Wednesday night at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Anfernee Simons scored 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Jerami Grant scored a game-high 30 points on 14-of-26 shooting as the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 105-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night in Portland.
Brooklyn (16-24) trailed 67-60 at the midway point of the third quarter following an 11-3 Portland run, but closed the quarter on a 23-7 run to take an 83-74 lead into the fourth quarter.
Portland (11-29) opened the fourth on a 14-4 run to recapture the lead at 88-87 with 6:56 left in the game following a Grant three-pointer.
The Nets would battle back to take a four-point lead at 101-97 with 1:48 remaining following a pair of free throws from Spencer Dinwiddie. The Blazers responded by scoring six-straight points. Malcolm Brogdon connected on two free throws followed by a Simons baseline jumper to tie the game at 101.
After another defensive stop, Portland used a collective effort to regain the lead. Brogdon missed a three-point jumper with 12 seconds on the clock, Toumani Camara missed a tip-dunk, but Grant was there to collect the miss from Camara and flip the ball in giving Portland a 103-101 lead with 9.7 seconds remaining.
After a Nets timeout, Cam Johnson used a sweet hesitation move to blow by Grant and get to the rim for an easy bucket to even the game at 103 with 5.2 seconds remaining.
Blazers Coach Chauncey Billups drew up a play for Simons who drove past Mikal Bridges and floated a shot up and over Nic Claxton to win the game. He connected on the game-winner with 0.2 seconds remaining on the clock.
Simons and Grant combined for 27 of the Trail Blazers 31 points in the final period.
Brogdon scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and Duop Reath added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Notes- Malcolm Brogdon, Anfernee Simons, Duop Reath, Jabari Walker, and Jerami Grant got the start with Toumani Camara and Scoot Henderson back on the bench for the game. Deandre Ayton was supposed to return the lineup after dealing with knee tendinitis, but he was a late scratch. He was unable to make it to the arena due to the icy conditions in the Portland area.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will host the Indiana Pacers Friday night at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- Terrific game. Grant and Simons were huge in the fourth quarter. I like Simons as the closer.