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Anfernee Simons · One might have a better chance of sneaking sunrise past a rooster than they would sneaking a clutch, offensively-gifted combo guard past the Portland Trail Blazers’ scouting department. Quietly among 2024-25’s top 15 in “clutch points,” Rip City’s seven-year standout — like a car revving its engine pre-race — readies himself for a memorable example, stringing size-up dribbles together before leaving Russell Westbrook in a side mirror. Leaving Portland’s backcourt legends of old somewhere, inevitably smiling, Simons burns the Denver Nuggets’ victory hopes, banking a buzzer-beating layup off-glass to put the Blazers in the win column as eight-and-a-half point underdogs. Better days, both for Simons’ scoring and for Portland’s win-loss record, would see more consistent success in the upcoming weeks, but December 19, 2024’s performance was nonetheless one worth remembering. Finding end-of-quarter isolations to be quite friendly throughout, Simons curtained the evening with a double-double, turning an efficient shooting display (11-of-20 overall) into a 28-point, 10-assist effort, alongside four 3-pointers. · State of Mint