Blazers Turn In A Defensive 'Masterpiece' In Win Versus Orlando

ORLANDO -- The Trail Blazers secured their second three-game win streak of the season with a 101-79 victory versus the Magic Thursday night in Orlando. 

Portland held Orlando to 34 percent shooting from the field and 24 percent shooting while also holding the Eastern Conference squad to their lowest point total this season. 

“I thought it was maybe the best defensive performance that I've had since I've been here, for sure,” said Chauncey Billups. “I thought it was a masterpiece. I really did. We locked in, they missed a lot of shots, but I thought it was because of what we did. I thought we sped them up a little bit.”

Much like the win two nights prior in Miami, the Portland trailed after the first quarter but outscored Orlando by 11 in the second to take control of the game. They would never trail in the second half and lead by as many as 25. 

“We knew we were playing against a physical team,” said Robert Williams III, who started in place of Deandre Ayton (knee) Thursday night. “Big starting line up, bigs coming off the bench. We just fought the whole game.”

Orlando native Anfernee Simons led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting to go with 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 32 minutes. 

Toumani Camara, who missed Tuesday’s game due to illness and almost didn’t play Thursday night, was a menace on both ends, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals in 34 minutes. 

“My mom is in the stands watching me play, so I feel like I needed to play tonight,” said Camara. “If it was not for that, I probably would have taken that off just because I haven't been able to eat in 48 hours. So I got my first meal last night, so my battery was kind of low. But once I'm on the court, I mean, I love this game so much, I love these guy so much, it just kind of went out the window and was just able to play.”

Jerami Grant posted 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 25 minutes. Williams III came just short of a double-double with 8 points and 12 rebounds though he also blocked 4 shots in 23 minutes. 

Dalano Banton went 4-of-9 from the field to finished with 10 points and 4 assists off the bench. Jabari Walker snatched a career-high 6 steals in 19 minutes. 

The Trail Blazers wrap up a three-game, Eastern Conference road trip and have a chance to secure their first four-game winning streak of the 2024-25 season when they face the Charlotte Hornets Friday night in the second game of a back-to-back. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.