12:44pm: Simons’ MRI will take place on Thursday, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
10:18am: Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons exited Tuesday’s loss to Washington in the third quarter due to a sprained right ankle and didn’t return. According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, X-rays on Simons’ ankle were negative, but he’s expected to undergo an MRI on Wednesday to further diagnosis the injury.
“I guess we’ll kind of see the severity tomorrow,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said after Tuesday’s game. “We’ll get an MRI on it. It didn’t look awesome, though.”
The injury occurred with about 12 second left in the third quarter. Simons drove toward the basket, pulled up, and attempted a jump shot over Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma. When he landed, Simons’ right foot came down on Kuzma’s right foot, causing his ankle to roll (video link). He had to be helped off the court by the training staff and was on crutches after the game, Fentress notes.
Simons accepted an invitation to compete in the 3-point contest at All-Star weekend, but his participation is likely in jeopardy now.
If Simons has to miss extended time after the break, it would be a tough blow for a Blazers team that’s fighting to stay in the play-mix in the Western Conference. Portland currently has a 28-30 record, putting the club a half-game behind the No. 10 Jazz.
Simons is the Blazers’ second-leading scorer this season with 21.4 PPG on .450/.381/.913 shooting, and the team’s backcourt isn’t especially deep after the team moved Gary Payton II and Josh Hart at last week’s trade deadline.
Rookie Shaedon Sharpe and newly acquired veteran Ryan Arcidiacono would be among the candidates for increased roles with Simons out. Portland could also lean more heavily on wings like Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, and Nassir Little.
Would have been fun to see if he could win both all-star competitions