The Portland Trail Blazers faced the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night with yet another mixed lineup. Frontcourt stalwarts Jusuf Nurkic and Robert Covington returned from NBA Health and Safety Protocols, giving the Blazers size that they sorely missed the last ten days. In horrible karmic balance, Damian Lillard sat to rest an ongoing abdominal injury even as CJ McCollum continued his recovery from a collapsed lung. Portland’s increased mass helped with paint scoring and offensive rebounding, but ended up costing the Blazers every time they switched a big onto Atlanta star Trae Young. Norman Powell (26 points) and Anfernee Simons (a career-high 43) had great games starting in place of Lillard and McCollum.
Simons Goes Huge, Leads Trail Blazers Over Hawks
