The Portland Trail Blazers are in dire need of help and Scoot Henderson may not be the solution. After getting blown out by a 62-point margin against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland will need to go back to the drawing board. The young core of the team had a very slow night, shooting just 27.7% from the field and 22.4% from three. What was even more surprising was the fact that Portland was unable to cut the deficit as the game progressed, finishing the game with a 62-point difference (the biggest lead of the night).
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After the game, The Inside Crew addressed the league’s recent trend with blowout games. The Celtics, who also got blown out by 33 points recently, were mentioned on the show. The Lakers and the Suns’ matchup was no different, as Beal and Booker went for 31 and 37 points on the night respectively. That being said, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith did not hold back when it came to Portland’s performance.
Amid an intense discussion on the Blazers’ collapse, Smith asked Sir Charles, “Have you ever lost by 60 points?”
Barkley seemed legitimately offended by the question. He responded immediately with undue conviction, “Hell no. I have never been down sixty. Not in Junior high, high school, middle school, YMCA. I have never been down sixty.”
Portland have a young, inexperienced core, which might have contributed to the loss. Along side this year’s number three pick Scoot Henderson, the Blazers also have the likes of Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe. However, they have struggled this year with direction after the departure of the franchise’s centerpiece, Damian Lillard.
Charles Barkley’s vehement dismissal of never being down by 62 points shows just how embarrassing this loss was. Therefore, Portland will need to pick themselves up and try and come back stronger in the next game. Scoot Henderson registered the second-worst plus-minus in NBA history in the game against the Thunder, -56. He would feel the need to redeem himself in the coming games after such a brutal loss against fellow rookie Chet Holmgren’s squad.
Ernie Johnson reveals Barkley’s 52-point loss
Meanwhile, let’s come back to Charles Barkley for a second. Now, it’s true that Barkley hasn’t lost a game by 60 points or more, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t taken a beating or two during his NBA days. During the post-game coverage of a Pelicans-Suns game back in Dec 2020, Ernie Johnson had to remind Sir Charles of a specific 52-point loss to the Hornets.
The above-mentioned incident occurred on Feb 27, 1992. The score line stood at 136-84, a game in which Barkley did play significant minutes. On being reminded of the loss, Charles seemed to be perplexed, telling Ernie Johnson,
” I did, when was that.”
Shaq, who himself has been handed a 45-point loss, was quick to comment on Charles’s record, telling the Chuckster,
“Grandma giving you the business”
Being blown out by 62 points isn’t something that should happen in a world-class league like the NBA. With younger teams such as OKC and Minnesota taking over the West, the Blazers will look to find someone to guide their young core ahead of the trade deadline.
