The Portland Trail Blazers suffered a rough loss on the road to the Detroit Pistons, surrending a 22-point lead to end up losing 118-115. Despite the loss, a few silver linings still provided optimism going forward in 2025. One of which was the play of Anfernee Simons, who finished with a season-high 36 points.
It wasn't your traditional method of getting 30-plus points, however. Simons finished the game shooting 14-of-21 from the field and 8-of-12 from three. He had zero free throw attempts. This game was the fifth occasion where Simons had had a game where he scored more than 30 points without a single free throw made.
Here are the five games:
Date | Opponent | Points | FG | 3PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan. 6, 2025 | Detroit | 36 | 14-21 | 8-12 |
Mar. 10, 2023 | Philadelphia | 34 | 13-22 | 8-12 |
Jan. 22, 2023 | LA Lakers | 31 | 12-20 | 7-13 |
Dec. 10, 2022 | Minnesota | 31 | 13-22 | 5-10 |
Feb. 14, 2022 | Milwaukee | 31 | 12-24 | 7-16 |
Of these, the only game where Simons attempted a free throw was against the 76ers in 2023, where he went 0-for-1 from the charity stripe. He has also come incredibly close to adding to this unique stat, scoring 29 points without attempting a single free throw on two separate occasions -- Dec. 26, 2023, against Sacramento and Oct. 24, 2022, against Denver.
Anfernee Simons is top 10 for most 30-point games without a free throw
Simons still has ways to go to catch up to the Splash Brothers and former Blazer CJ McCollum. Here is the top ten, according to StatMuse:
Rank | Player | Games | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Klay Thompson | 16 | 563 |
2 | CJ McCollum | 11 | 352 |
3 | Stephen Curry | 9 | 291 |
4 | Buddy Hield | 8 | 274 |
5 (tied) | D'Angelo Russell | 7 | 232 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 7 | 234 | |
7 (tied) | Nikola Vucevic | 6 | 186 |
Alex English | 6 | 210 | |
9 (tied) | Anfernee Simons | 5 | 163 |
Malik Beasley | 5 | 158 |
Simons is tied for ninth with Malik Beasley, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, LeBron James, and Jason Richardson. It's also worth mentioning that Klay Thompson holds the record for the most 40-point games without a free throw, with three -- while no other player has more than one.
It's a unique and refreshing stat that helps games be more entertaining in a league where superstars are constantly hunting for fouls. It's also a testament to Simons' shot-making ability, with some even referring to him as an "ethical scorer" because of it.
Simons must get to the line more to unlock his full scoring potential
However, this also highlights an opportunity for Simons to elevate his offensive game by improving his ability to draw fouls, which would unlock a new dimension of his scoring. All of the top scorers this season -- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, and Kevin Durant -- have mastered the art of getting to the charity stripe.
Of this group, Jokic is averaging the fewest attempts at 6.5 per game, while Giannis is the highest at 10.8. Meanwhile, Simons is attempting just 2.8. That is tied for 74th most in the league with Scoot Henderson and others, yet Simons plays roughly six more minutes per game than Henderson. He also has a higher usage rate (25 percent) than Henderson (21.2 percent).
It's clear that Simons will never be a free throw merchant as his 6-foot-3, 195 frame doesn't align with that style of play. Still, it would be a considerable boost to his game and the Blazers' offense as a whole if he could be more aggressive and get to the line more frequently. Simons is excellent at driving in the lane with his crafty ballhandling but oftentimes seems to shy away from contact on his finishes.
This is nitpicking, as Simons has played extremely well as of late. But it's still an area of his game he needs to unlock if he ever wants to become a 25-point-per-game scorer and approach All-Star status.