Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons, all smiles following a 115-99 win Wednesday night over the Memphis Grizzlies, is having more fun playing basketball than he has in some time.
“I ain’t been in this territory for the past couple of years, so you know, I’m getting pretty excited,” Simons said.
That territory is within striking distance of reaching the postseason for the first time since Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum led the Blazers to the 2021 NBA playoffs.
The Blazers' victory over the Grizzlies moved them to within two games of 10th place in the Western Conference, trailing Dallas (33-37) and Phoenix (33-37).
“The last couple of years around this time has been, “Alright, when is the season going to end?’” Simons said. “Now it’s a good feeling just going in there knowing that at this point, every game matters and we need to lock in and do whatever it takes to win, no matter what it looks like.”
The Blazers (31-39) trailed Dallas by five games on March 12 after losing in overtime to the New York Knicks. Since then, Portland has won three consecutive games, while Dallas has lost three straight.
But the team, Simons said, hasn’t become all consumed by the play-in race. Simons said he pays attention to the standings but the players rarely discuss the team’s chances.
“We mentioned it a little bit in the locker room, but we don’t want to jinx it, maybe,” he said. “I don’t know.”
Simons is engrossed in the race.
Grizzlies Trail Blazers Basketball
Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr., left, and Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija collide during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer) APAP
“Days we got off, I’m usually watching the teams that are above us, seeing how they’re playing,” Simons said. “And I know that some of the teams above us got a pretty hard schedule, so we’re hoping for the best in that area.”
Not getting too ahead of themselves is part of the team’s tragedy to remain focused on what they can control.
Blazers coach Chauncey Billups has repeatedly deflected questions about the play-in and said he hasn’t talked to his team about the race.
“He doesn’t and I’m happy about it,” Deni Avdija said. “I think the same thing. I don’t really pay attention to the standings. I just pay attention to beating the next team we play. I don’t think it should matter what our standing is. I think, regardless if we have a chance, or we don’t have a chance, we’re a basketball team and we’re coming to win.”
Wednesday’s win over Memphis was the Blazers' first against a winning team in 42 days since defeating Sacramento on Feb. 6. That information surprised Avdija when asked if it felt good to finally defeat a team the caliber of the Grizzlies (43-27).
“I didn’t know those stats. But it feels good now,” he said with a laugh. “I didn’t know that. But, as I said, like, you see those things I don’t really think about. It feels good. I mean, as I said, we got a tough stretch at home coming up, and we got to show some character. We’re going to be alright. I don’t want to overstress it too much.”
The Blazers host Denver (44-26) on Friday, followed by Boston (50-19) on Sunday and Cleveland (56-13) on Tuesday before starting a five-game trip with the Kings (35-33), Knicks (43-25) and Atlanta (33-36).
Phoenix has an even tougher schedule ahead while Dallas has lost 13 of its last 15. But worrying about any of that isn’t productive, according to Avdija.
“I just play aggressive and try to beat each team at one time,” he said. “And I think that’s how you need to approach in, because if you’re thinking too much about the future, your mind can go all over the place. But this is just my mentality.”
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)