Simons beats buzzer and woeful Nets

Brooklyn burned late by Trail Blazers in road trip opener

January 18, 2024 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Cam Johnson (far right) can't bear to watch as Anfernee Simons (far left) celebrates his winning shot against the Nets in Portland Wednesday. AP Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer

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Portland’s Anfernee Simons sliced between a pair of defenders, soared over the paint and flushed any hopes the Brooklyn Nets had of ending a three-game losing streak and starting their West Coast swing on a positive note.

Simons’ 7-foot floater with 0.2 ticks left on the clock lifted the previously slumping Trail Blazers to a 105-103 victory over the free-falling Nets Wednesday night in front of 17,021 fans at the Moda Center.

“It’s never just one play that sums up the game,” frustrated Nets coach Jacque Vaughn insisted. “It’s an accumulation of plays.”

Nearly halfway through this campaign, it’s an accumulation of losses that’s haunting these Nets, be it in Brooklyn, Paris or Portland.

Brooklyn (16-24), which has dropped nine of its last 10 contests and 14 of 17, appeared poised to snap out of its month-long malaise when Spencer Dinwiddie drained a 25-footer and a pair of free throws to keep the Nets ahead, 101-97, with 1:48 to play.

But the Blazers (11-29) were eager to snap their own four-game slide, which began just after they bested Brooklyn, 134-127, in overtime at Barclays Center 10 days ago.

Malcolm Brogdon hit two from the charity stripe and Simons connected from 16 feet out to knot the game at 101-101.

Jerami Grant, who had 14 of his game-high 30 points in the final 12 minutes, put back an offensive rebound on Portland’s next trip before Cam Johnson’s driving layup locked things up again for Brooklyn.

Simons calmly settled matters thereafter, leaving Dinwiddie and Mikal Bridges to watch his game-winning shot slip through the twine.

“I’m glad I was able to get it going at the right time and come up with a win,” said Simons, who burned the Nets for 38 points on Jan. 7 in Brooklyn.

“We were gonna double Grant or Simons,” Vaughn revealed. “Give them credit, good move to the basket and finish.”

Spencer Dinwiddie soars to the basket for two of his 19 points Wednesday, but the Nets lost their fourth straight in Portland. AP Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer

Simons finished with 20 points, Duop Reath added 17 and Brogdon had 16 for Portland, which overcame an 11-point, second-half deficit.

Bridges, who left the contest briefly in the third quarter after colliding with Portland’s Jabari Walker, scored 21 points for Brooklyn, which slipped eight games below .500 for the first time since December 2018.

Dinwiddie added 19 points for the Nets, seeing playing time in the fourth quarter after remaining on the bench in crunch time the previous two games.

“He has the ability to get to the rim, draw fouls, which he was able to tonight,” Vaughn said of his starting point guard, who went 5-of-8 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and drained 6-of-7 free throws.

Reserve Lonnie Walker IV and Johnson had 13 points apiece and Nic Claxton added 12 points and 12 boards for the Nets, who will stay in L.A. over the weekend to visit the Clippers on Sunday afternoon.

Mikal Bridges had 21 points for Brooklyn despite his third-quarter collision with Portland’s Jabari Walker. AP Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer

NOTHING BUT NET: After their trip, the Nets will play 10 of the next 11 games at Barclays with the lone exception coming on Feb. 3 at Philadelphia. … Brooklyn fell to 6-14 on the road this season, and has dropped five in a row away from Barclays, not including last Thursday’s NBA Paris 2024 contest, which counted as a Nets home game.