Tag: Portland Trail Blazers

GAME #44 – TORONTO RAPTORS (22-21) vs. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (19-26)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 23, 2022 – 6 P.M. (ET) – SCOTIABANK ARENA
TV: SPORTSNET – RADIO: TSN 1050 TORONTO

• The Toronto Raptors play the first of consecutive home games (Jan. 23-25) Sunday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at Scotiabank Arena. Fred VanVleet hit a tiebreaking three-pointer with 59 seconds to lay, and the Raptors hung on to beat the Wizards, 109-105, in Washington on Friday. Scottie Barnes
scored a career-high 27 points, VanVleet had 21 and had 12 assists and Pascal Siakam also scored 21 points in the win for Toronto, which finished its recent five-game road trip with a 2-3 record (Jan. 14-21). The Raptors are now 7-4 in the month of January.
• Rookie Scottie Barnes scored a career-high 27 points (12-19 FG, 3-4 FT), including 10 in the third quarter, and grabbed eight rebounds in 40 minutes Jan. 21 at Washington. Barnes ranks second among rookies in rebounds (7.9), and fourth in both scoring (14.8) and assists (3.4). He also leads all rookies with
eight games of 20+ points and 5+ rebounds this season.
• Pascal Siakam is currently averaging 21.0 points, and career highs of 8.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He is one of just six players in the NBA averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists this season, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Nikola Jokic.
• Fred VanVleet posted his second straight double-double, and eighth double-double of the season, with 21 points and 12 assists Jan. 21 at Washington. VanVleet recorded five double-doubles in 52 games last season. VanVleet is averaging career highs of 21.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists this year. The
Raptors are 5-3 this season when he records a double-double.
• Fred VanVleet (3.8) and Gary Trent Jr. (3.5) currently rank second and fourth, respectively, in the NBA in deflections per game. VanVleet has led the NBA in deflections per game each of the past two seasons,
while Trent Jr. also ranks fourth in the league in steals (1.88). The Raptors lead the NBA in deflections per game (18.1) this season and rank third in steals (9.2).
• Scottie Barnes leads the Raptors, and all rookies, with 101 offensive rebounds in 36 games this season. Barnes is the fastest rookie to reach 100 offensive rebounds in franchise history. Chris Bosh holds the Raptors rookie record with 191 offensive boards during the 2003-04 campaign. The Raptors lead the NBA
in offensive rebounds per game (13.5) and rank second (16.8) in second-chance points. Through 11 games in January, Toronto has outrebounded opponents 167-to-109 (+58) on the offensive end.
• Friday night marked the 11th time this season Toronto had at least six players score 10+ points. The Raptors are 8-3 this season, including 4-0 in the month of January, when six or more players score in double figures. Reserve Chris Boucher finished with 10 points against the Wizards and has now scored 10+
points in six consecutive games (Jan. 11-21), averaging 14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds during this stretch.
PROBABLE STARTERS
F – OG ANUNOBY #3

MIN: 36.5 REB: 5.3 AST: 2.3 STL: 1.6 TO: 1.8 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 18.9
• Tallied 12 points, and team highs of nine rebounds and four steals, in 41 minutes Jan. 21 at Washington.
• Has scored in double figures in 12 straight games (Dec. 28 – Jan. 21), averaging 18.3 points during this stretch.
• Scored 20+ points in 13-of-28 games this season, something he did 13 times in 43 contests last year.
F – SCOTTIE BARNES #4

MIN: 35.5 REB: 7.9 AST: 3.4 STL: 1.0 TO: 1.9 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 14.8
• Scored a career-high 27 points Jan. 21 at Washington; added eight rebounds in 40 minutes
• Ranks second among rookies in rebounds (7.9), and fourth in both scoring (14.8) and assists (3.4).
• Has scored 20+ points eight times, the most by Raptors rookie since Charlie Villanueva (12 times) in 2005-06.
C – PASCAL SIAKAM #43

MIN: 36.7 REB: 8.3 AST: 4.9 STL: 1.2 TO: 2.6 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 21.0
• Finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in 41 minutes Jan. 21 at Washington.
• Has scored 20+ points in six of the last seven games (Jan. 9-21), averaging 23.3 points during this span.
• Averaging 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists through 11 games in the month of January.
G – GARY TRENT JR. #33

MIN: 33.9 REB: 2.8 AST: 2.1 STL: 1.9 TO: 0.9 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 16.3
• Contributed 13 points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal in 29 minutes Jan. 21 at Washington.
• Returned to the lineup against the Wizards after missing the previous six games with left ankle swelling.
• Ranks fourth in the NBA in steals (1.88); has recorded multiple steals in 20-of-34 games.
G – FRED VANVLEET #23

MIN: 38.1 REB: 4.7 AST: 6.9 STL: 1.7 TO: 2.6 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 21.8
• Recorded his eighth double-double with 21 points and 12 assists in 39 minutes Jan. 21 at Washington.
• Has made six or more three-point field goals in a single-season franchise record nine games.
• Has tallied 10+ assists in consecutive games (Jan. 19-21) for the second time in his career; totalling 24 assists.

INJURY REPORT
Khem Birch (Nose; Fracture) – Out
Goran Dragic (NWT) – Out
David Johnson (Health and Safety Protocols) – Out
UPDATED: Jan. 23, 2022
NEXT GAME DETAILS
Opponent: Charlotte Hornets
Date: Tuesday, January 25
Tip-Off: 7 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Scotiabank Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
SERIES RECAP VS. CHARLOTTE
OVERALL HOME ROAD
2020-21 2-1 2-0 0-1
ALL-TIME 40-46 26-19 14-27
STREAKS Lost 1 Won 2 Lost 1
LAST WIN: Jan. 16, 2021 (116-113)
LAST HOME WIN: Jan. 16, 2021 (116-113)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +36 (Nov. 18, 2019)
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -36 (Nov. 20, 2000)
LAST TIME VS. CHARLOTTE
GAME 38 – MARCH 13, 2021
CHARLOTTE 114, TORONTO 104
CHARLOTTE — LaMelo Ball had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Charlotte defeated the short-handed Toronto Raptors 114-104 in the Hornets’
first game with the general public allowed to attend … Devonte Graham
and Terry Rozier each added 17 points for the Hornets, who seemed to
feed off having fans — about 3,000 of them … Charlotte jumped out to a
25-4 lead and set a franchise record with 11 3-pointers in the first quarter
in building a 44-24 lead … Ball finished 6 of 9 from 3-point range … Kyle
Lowry finished with 19 points and eight assists to lead the Raptors, who
lost their fourth straight game without Pascal Siakam, Fred Van Vleet,
Patrick McCaw, OG Anunoby and Malachi Flynn due to health and safety
protocols … Ball, Rozier and Graham each had three 3s in the opening
quarter and combined for 15 in the game … Malik Monk added 16 points
for the Hornets … Charlotte led by 25 entering the fourth quarter and the
only question at that point was if they would set a franchise record for 3-
pointers … But the Hornets, who played their reserves most of the fourth
quarter, made just one 3 in the fourth quarter and finished the game 21 of
49 from beyond the arc … Chris Boucher needed three stitches in his lip
after taking a shot during the second half … Charlotte committed a season-high 28 turnovers and had 30 assists.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 24 28 21 31 104
CHARLOTTE 44 23 31 16 114
GAME 43 – JANUARY 21, 2022
TORONTO 109, WASHINGTON 105
WASHINGTON — Fred VanVleet hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 59 seconds to play, and the Toronto Raptors hung on after blowing an 18-point
fourth-quarter lead to beat the Washington Wizards 109-105 … Rookie
Scottie Barnes scored a career-high 27 points, VanVleet scored 21 and
had 12 assists, Pascal Siakam also scored 21 points for Toronto, which
went 2-3 on a five-game trip … Bradley Beal led Washington with 25
points … He also had eight assists, but committed nine turnovers, equaling his career high … The Wizards, who began the season 10-3, are 13-
20 since … Beal scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, and the Wizards
tied the game at 102 on five straight points from Montrezl Harrell, who
converted a three-point play and then dunked … OG Anunoby scored on a
layup and Siakam hit two free throws to seal the game … Toronto took
control with a 22-6 run that gave it a 91-77 lead after three quarters …
Barnes scored 10 points in the third … The Raptors were up 95-77 early in
the fourth quarter … Toronto’s Yuta Watanabe, who didn’t play in the last
two games, returned and matched up with Washington’s Rui Hachimura,
the second time in NBA history two Japanese players faced each other …
Hachimura had 11 points, and Watanabe didn’t score in six minutes …
Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. returned after missing six games with a left
ankle injury, he scored 13 points.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 20 35 36 18 109
WASHINGTON 30 24 23 28 105

PORTLAND’S PREVIOUS GAME STARTERS
Forward 9 Nassir Little 6-5 230
9.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.2 apg
Forward 33 Robert Covington. 6-7 225
7.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.1 apg
Center 27 Jusuf Nurkic 7-0 285
14.3 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.8 apg
Guard 3 CJ McCollum 6-3 200
20.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.3 apg
Guard 1 Anfernee Simons 6-3 195
15.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.4 apg

NEWS AND NOTES
LEADING THE WAY: The Trail Blazers hired Chauncey Billups
as the 15th head coach in franchise history on June 27, 2021.
Billups is making his debut as a head coach in the 2021-22
season. He spent the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach
for the LA Clippers, helping lead the team to a 47-25 record
and a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
NURK IN THE NEW YEAR: Jusuf Nurkic continued his hot start
to 2022 with his fourth consecutive game with 18-plus points
and 14-plus rebounds on Jan. 19 at Boston, making him the
only player in the NBA with such a streak this season. His
final stat line – 29 points, 17 rebounds and six assists marks
his sixth career 25/15/5 performance, the most of any Trail
Blazer in the last 40 years (LaMarcus Aldridge – 3). His 13.6
rebounds per game in January rank 2nd in the NBA while his
4.0 assists and 17.8 points rank 7th and 9th among centers.
RESPECT THE HUSTLE: Robert Covington is the only player in
the NBA this season with 60-plus steals and 50-plus blocks.
He ranks in the Top-30 in both categories, averaging 1.4 steals
per game and 1.3 blocks per game. Covington has seven
games this season with at least two blocks and two steals,
3rd-most in the league.
NURK 20-20: Jusuf Nurkic turned in a monster performance
at Orlando on Jan. 17, registering a double-double in the first
half for the second straight game and fifth time this season. He
finished the night with 21 points (10-21 FG, 0-3 3-PT, 1-2 FT),
22 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks. It marked
his third career 20-20 game and the ninth such performance
in the NBA this season. He is the 11th player in team history
to record at least four career games with 20-plus rebounds.
ONLY NURK: Jusuf Nurkic recorded 20-plus rebounds and
4-plus steals on Jan. 17 vs. Orlando, making him the only
player in the NBA to record that stat line this season. He is
also the only player in franchise history to finish a game with
21 points, 22 rebounds and four steals, which he has done
twice (1/1/19 at Sac.)
SIMONS CAN’T BE STOPPED: Anfernee Simons knocked down
seven three-pointers in the first half at Washington on Jan. 15,
becoming the sixth player in NBA history to record five games
with seven-plus three-pointers before turning 23. He finished
the half with 26 points and six assists, just the fifth player to
record that stat line in one half this season. Simons followed
it up with 20 points in the first half at Miami on Jan. 19, giving
him four 20-plus point halves in his last eight games.
STARTING FIVE: The starting lineup of Nassir Little, Robert
Covington, Jusuf Nurkic, Ben McLemore and Anfernee Si- mons became the first Portland unit this season to all score
in double figures on Jan. 10 vs. Brooklyn. The unit repeated
the effort on Jan. 15 at Washington.
RED HOT ANT: Anfernee Simons is off to a scorching start to
2022, he has set career-highs in points (43) and assists (11)
while turning in 20-plus point performances in five of six games.
His 23 point (10-24 FG, 2-11 3-PT, 1-2 FT), 11 assist and six
rebound performance against Brooklyn on Jan. 10 marked his
first double-double of the season, a repeat performance of 31
points and 11 assists on Jan. 15 marked his second. In 2022,
Simons is averaging 25.7 points, 7.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds
while shooting 49.4% from the field, 43.3% from deep and
87.9% at the line.
DOUBLE-FIGURE STREAK: Nassir Little and Ben McLemore
have each recorded five consecutive games scoring in double
figures between Jan. 9 and Jan. 17, for Little it represented a
career-long streak.
BACK-TO-BACK: Anfernee Simons scored 28 points against
Miami on Jan. 5, which included a 20-point third quarter in
which he shot 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from the threepoint-line. It marks the first time in his career that Simons
scored 20-plus points in consecutive games.
ROCO IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Robert Covington became the
first player in franchise history, and 23rd in NBA history, to fin- ish a game with at least five three-pointers, three steals and
three blocks when he did so against Brooklyn on Jan. 10. He
finished the game with 21 points (6-9 FG, 5-8 3-PT, 4-4 FT), five
rebounds, three steals, three blocks and one assist.
ANT’S CAREER NIGHT: Anfernee Simons scored a career-high 43
points (13-21 FG, 9-16 3-PT, 8-8 FT) to go with three rebounds
and seven assists against Atlanta on Jan. 3. At 22 years and
209 days old, Simons became the youngest player in franchise
history to score 40-plus points in a game (Petrie, 22 years and
259 days). Simons is also the first player in NBA history to have
two games with nine or more three-pointers before turning 23.
MORE FLORIDIAN YOUTH: Nassir Little recorded 22 points (8-
14 FG, 4-5 3-PT, 2-3 FT) to go with nine rebounds, two assists
and one steal against the Hawks on Jan. 3. Little is the sixth
player in team history to record two or more games of at least 20
points and nine rebounds before turning 22, joining Lloyd Neal,
Greg Oden, Bill Walton, LaMarcus Aldridge and Zach Randolph.
MAXIMUM NORM: Norman Powell scored 26 points (9-13 FG,
2-5 3-PT, 6-7 FT) to go with six rebounds, four assists and four
steals against the Hawks on Jan. 3. Powell is one of seven players
in the NBA that is averaging at least 18.0 points while shooting
better than 45.0% from the field and 39.0% from three.
BEN BUCKETS: Ben McLemore matched his season high with
28 points (9-22 FG, 6-14 3-PT, 4-4 FT) at the Lakers on Dec. 31.

He scored 16 of his points in nine first quarter minutes on
6-of-9 shooting (4-6 3-PT). He was the first bench player in the
NBA to score at least 16 points in the first quarter this season.

NANCE DOING IT ALL: Larry Nance Jr. recorded 14 points (6-13
FG, 1-3 3-PT, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, nine assists and three
steals against Utah on Dec. 29. His nine assists marked a career
high. Nance scored in double figures in four straight games
from Dec. 21-31, marking his longest such streak of the season.
NAS DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Nassir Little logged his third career
double-double on Dec. 27 against Dallas, finishing with a
season-high 20 points (7-14 FG, 2-7 3-PT, 4-7 FT), 10 re- bounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks. At 21 years
and 319 days old, Little is the youngest player in franchise
history to do so.
THE LITTLE THINGS: Nassir Little recorded career highs of six
assists and three blocks against Charlotte on Dec. 17. Against
Memphis on Dec. 19, Little had 12 points, nine rebounds,
three assists and two blocks. Among players that are 6’7″ or
shorter, Little ranks fifth in offensive rebounds (55) and fourth
in blocks (35) for the season.
STAY READY: Ben McLemore scored 28 points (10-16 FG, 8-13
3-PT) to go with two rebounds and two steals against Charlotte on Dec. 17. He scored 20 points (7-9 FG, 6-8 3-PT) in the
second quarter. McLemore’s six three-pointers in the second
quarter were one shy of the franchise record for three-pointers
in a quarter (McCollum, 7). His eight threes tied his career high
and were one shy of the franchise record for three-pointers
made off the bench (Simons/Batum, 9).
HAVE A HALF: The Trail Blazers scored 81 points and made a
franchise-record 16 three-pointers (of 25, 64.0%) in the first
half against the Hornets on Dec. 17. It was the 16th time in
franchise history that Portland scored at least 80 points in a
half, and the first time since Nov. 12, 2014.
40/40 CLUB: Damian Lillard scored a season-high 43 points
(12-19 FG, 6-11 3-PT, 13-14 FT) against Charlotte on Dec. 17.

It was his 40th career game with 40-plus points, making
him one of 25 players in league history to score at least 40
points 40 times.
Most 40-Point Games In Trail Blazers History

Damian Lillard 40

Clyde Drexler 17

Geoff Petrie 13

CJ McCollum 8
Most 40-Point Games Since 2012-13

James Harden 100

Stephen Curry 53

Russell Westbrook 47

Damian Lillard 40
HE’S HERE, HE’S THERE, HE’S EVERYWHERE: Robert Covington
had season highs of five steals and four blocks against the
Timberwolves on Dec. 12. It was the seventh time in team his- tory that a player had at least five steals and four blocks and
just the third time it has happened off the bench.
BENCH BUCKETS: Anfernee Simons led the Trail Blazers bench
with 22 points (7-16 FG, 4-6 3-PT, 4-4 FT) against the Grizzlies
on Dec. 15. From opening night through the end of December,
Simons ranked 10th in the NBA in total bench points (328) and
is 11th in three-pointers made off the bench (57).
RESERVE SNIPERS: Anfernee Simons (26 points, 6-12 3-PT)
and Ben McLemore (15 points, 5-6 3-PT) combined to make
11 three-pointers off the bench against Minnesota on Dec. 12.
They became the first pair of Portland teammates to each make
at least five three-pointers off the bench in the same game in
franchise history.
BIG HALF FOR LITTLE: In the first half at Golden State on Dec. 8,
Nassir Little scored 18 points (5-5 FG, 2-2 3-PT, 6-10 FT) to go
with six rebounds, one assist and one block in 22 minutes. He
left the game three minutes into the second half with a left calf
cramp. His 18 points for the game marked the second-highest
scoring output of his career.
NURKIC SEASON HIGH: Jusuf Nurkic scored a season-high 31
points (12-19 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 6-10 FT) to go with five rebounds,
one assist and one block against the Clippers on Dec. 6. It was
his fourth career game with 30-plus points.
THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Trail Blazers won 10
straight games at Moda Center from Oct. 23 – Nov. 30, marking
the team’s longest home winning streak since Jan. 24 – March
9, 2009 (12 games).
BEN THERE, DONE THAT: Ben McLemore scored 17 points (5-10
FG, 4-9 3-PT, 3-3 FT) to go with two rebounds and one assist in
18 minutes against Detroit on Nov. 30. It was just the 15th time
in the last 10 seasons that a Portland player scored at least 17
points off the bench in 20 minutes or fewer.
BEAST ON THE BOARDS: Jusuf Nurkic matched his season high
with 17 rebounds at Sacramento on Nov. 24. He has led the Trail
Blazers in rebounds in 33 games so far this season. Nurkic ranks
9th in the NBA in rebounds (10.8).
CJ SCORING: CJ McCollum scored the 10,000th point of his
career on Oct. 20 against the Kings. He is the eighth player in
team history with 10,000 points. With a three-pointer at the
5:52 mark of the second quarter against Detroit on Nov. 30,
McCollum passed Clifford Robinson for fifth on the Trail Blazers
all-time scoring list.

Terry Porter – 11,330 points

CJ McCollum – 10,529 points
THE BOSNIAN BEAST: Jusuf Nurkic had a double-double in the
first quarter at Sacramento on Nov. 24, logging 14 points (7-9
FG) and 10 rebounds in the period. He was the first Portland
player with a double-double in the first quarter since LaMarcus
Aldridge did so on Feb. 1, 2014. Nurkic finished the game with a
season-high 28 points (12-17 FG, 4-5 FT) to go with 17 rebounds
and five assists.