By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Portland Trail Blazers banked on a stellar second-half performance to dominate the struggling Philadelphia 76ers, 119-102, during their inter-conference matchup in the ongoing NBA regular season on March 4, 2025.
After a shaky first-half outing that allowed the 76ers to control the pace and hold on to a five-point lead entering the last two quarters, the Trail Blazers flipped the switch and changed the momentum of the ball game as soon as the third quarter began.
Portland went crazy from the field in the third, unleashing 35 points in just 12 minutes to evaporate Philadelphia’s slim margin and retake the cushion heading to the fourth.
The duo of Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe spearheaded the massive Portland rally and combined for 20 points in just the third quarter, before the other key members and role players iced the game with a 28-21 fourth-quarter win.
What also steered the Trail Blazers to a turnaround in the second half was how they defended the shaded lane after getting smoked by Andre Drummond’s paint presence which proved to be valuable for the 76ers.
With Joel Embiid already done for the season, Drummond filled in his starting center spot and flashed his vintage form when he already tallied a near double-double at the end of the first half.
Drummond held his ground against Portland’s double teams and took advantage of the absence of Deandre Ayton, the Trail Blazers’ main frontcourt anchor, who is still nursing a calf injury.
To tone down Drummond’s two-way efficiency, the Trail Blazers played Donovan Clingan more minutes, their 2024 seventh-overall rookie draft pick.
Clingan matched up well against Drummond as he physically wore him down with his wide frame and upper body strength while providing more open looks for Portland in their pick-and-roll plays.
The young center capped off the win with a convincing double-double performance, tallying 13 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and a steal.
Simons led all scorers in the game as the steady floor general dropped 34 big points built from an efficient 13/26 shooting from the field alongside four boards, three dimes, and two steals.
Sharpe, who backstopped Simons during Portland’s insane third-quarter turnaround, chipped in a double-double outing of 20 markers, 11 rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
On the other hand, Drummond pulled off his best performance for the 76ers in the season with 25 points and 18 rebounds but his monster double-double was still not enough to get Philadelphia out of the current hole that they are in.
Tyrese Maxey is still struggling with a back injury that limited him to just five points in 23 minutes while Paul George was declared out 10 minutes before the matchup due to a groin soreness injury.
