LAS VEGAS -- After going undefeated on their way to winning last year’s Las Vegas Summer League tournament, the Portland Trail Blazers started their 2019 campaign in the desert with a 93-73 loss to the Detroit Pistons Saturday afternoon at Thomas & Mack Arena on the campus of UNLV.
“It was tough, very tough,” said Trail Blazers assistant coach Jim Moran. “I was a little disappointed, we had a really good week of practice and that game did not resemble what we did all week. So it was a little frustrating.”
The Trail Blazers found themselves down by as many as 16 in the first half thanks to Detroit’s accuracy from long range and Portland’s inability to play much of anything resembling NBA-caliber defense in the early going. But after a rough start, Portland was able to outscore Detroit 24-17 in the second quarter to cut the Pistons’ lead to seven going into the intermission.
“They were hitting threes early, but they weren’t contested, they were wide open,” said Moran. “So we kind of dug ourselves a hole early and just trying to play catchup. I was happy when we cut it to six but I just think how much energy we expended just to get back in the game (hurt). We’ve got to be better.”
Though that wouldn’t be the case in the second half. After playing Detroit relatively close in the third, the Trail Blazers were outscored 15-2 in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. The Pistons would push their lead to as many as 25 before coasting to a 20-point victory.
“We were a little sloppy offensive,’” said Moran. “We had some possessions where we really guarded, which was encouraging. But these guys have only been together a couple days, it’s kind of hard to build that chemistry and get that cohesion like most teams have.
The Trail Blazers were led by Anfernee Simons, who went 5-of-14 from the field and 1-of-4 from three for 15 points to go with three rebounds and an assist in just under 24 minutes.
“I think I played pretty well,” said Simons, one of two carryovers from last year’s summer league champs. “Some of it is just learning experiences, a couple plays. But I feel like I played pretty well. Tried to talk, be as vocal as I can and kind of help my teammates with plays, be ready on defense as well, try to pick up full court.”
Devin Robinson started at forward for the Blazers and finished with 14 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 shooting from the free throw line to go with 10 rebounds in 20 minutes. Gary Trent Jr. was the only other Blazer to score in double figures, going 3-of-12 from the field and 2-of-5 from three for 10 points in 23 minutes.
The Pistons had five players finish in double figures, led by 18 points from Svi Mykhailiuk and 17 points from Bruce Brown.
Next up, the Trail Blazers return to UNLV for the second game of a summer league back-to-back Sunday night versus the Houston Rockets. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on NBA TV.