Portland Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons Can’t Find Net Against Clippers

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons has registered some rough shooting nights during a turbulent 2024-25 season. For instance, there was a 1-8 shooting night against Oklahoma City on Nov. 1, a 2-14 night against Memphis on Nov. 25, and a 2-11 night against the LA Clippers on Dec. 3.

Still, Portland’s 118-89 loss to the Clippers on Thursday at the Moda Center marked the first time since December 2021 that the sharpshooter couldn’t find the net a single time — not from the field, not even on a free throw. In 30 minutes, Simons went 0-9 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc for zero points. It was the only time in Simons’ seven-plus year NBA career he took over five shots and went scoreless.

“It was just a rough night at the office,” Portland head coach Chauncey Billups said about Simons’ performance in the lopsided loss.

Other than a difficult one-legged fadeaway late in the first quarter, none of Simons’ shots looked too forced. His pull-up 3-pointer just wasn’t on. He got into the paint for a few layups but the finishes went wayward. A few after-timeout sets got Simons catch-and-shoot opportunities in an effort to unlock him, but those looks didn’t drop either. His ninth and final shot came at the start of the fourth quarter with the Blazers trailing by 20 after a late third-quarter surge, threatening to make a game of it. The shot missed off the heel, and Portland faded fast and quietly into the 29-point loss.

Billups said Simons just couldn’t seem to find a rhythm, while giving credit to the Clippers’ stout defense, which ranks third in the league in defensive rating.

“That defense makes you take a lot of tough shots, and he could never really get away,” Billups said.

The zero-point game read like another difficult chapter in an uncharacteristically cold year for Simons, as he grapples with a soon-to-be fourth consecutive losing season and an organization in flux. This game was preceded by a 3-12 night against Brooklyn, but before that Simons finally broke through for his best, most consistent stretch of the season. In eight games from Dec. 28 to Jan. 11, Simons averaged 25.1 points while shooting 49.3% from the field and a blazing-hot 47.6% on over 10 3-point attempts per game. That recent stretch lends hope these past two games really were just the occasional hiccups shooters go through and he’s on track for a more consistent 2025.

“Stuff like that is frustrating. I’ve been through it,” Blazers point guard Scoot Henderson said about Simons’ latest bump in the road. “My main thing is just to continue to put confidence in him.”

Henderson was one of the few Blazers to play a decent game against LA, registering 16 points on 6-14 shooting and six assists in his second consecutive start. He told reporters in the locker room that he and Simons have both remained uplifting with each other during their respective ups and downs this season.

“I’m always just high-fiving him, like ‘you good, come on, you good. New quarter. New set of possessions,’” Henderson said. “He’s been doing the same thing.”

Simons will get a new set of possessions and a chance to right the ship quickly during a weekend back-to-back at home. The Blazers play the Houston Rockets Saturday and Chicago Bulls Sunday.