Blazers amp up invisible crowd as Jusuf Nurkic returns to action

The Portland Trail Blazers amped up their non-existent fans before Thursday’s scrimmage.

The Portland Trail Blazers came into Orlando on a mission to work their way into the Western Conference playoff picture, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy themselves a little too.

Thursday’s scrimmage against the Indiana Pacers marked the Blazers’ first official NBA action in months. Despite being the visiting team, and playing in an Orlando arena devoid of fans, no less, Portland ran onto the court with a flourish, amping up their invisible fans.

You’ve gotta love Zach Collins, Gary Trent Jr. and the rest of the Blazers for this one.

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The Blazers radiated joy as Jusuf Nurkic returned to action.

Everyone in Portland had reason to be excited about Thursday’s unofficial return to basketball. Even in a meaningless scrimmage, it’s the first basketball we’ve been able to enjoy since March, and we can hardly fault these guys for being animated about it. Watching them run out, giving out fake high fives, pointing to non-existent fans in the stands and trying to pump an empty arena up was downright hilarious.

However, it’s even easier to appreciate when one remembers that Collins and Jusuf Nurkic had been out for even longer due to injuries. Collins hadn’t played since Oct. 27 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left labrum, while the Bosnian Beast had been sidelined since March of 2019 due to a compound fracture in his left tibia and fibula.

Nurkic was expected to make his long-awaited return on March 15, but the NBA suspended its season due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 11. Suffice it to say, it was extremely satisfying to see the big fella score his first points against another NBA team in over a year, even if it was just a scrimmage:

If the Blazers can surpass the Memphis Grizzlies for the 8-seed, or get to ninth-place and pull within 4.0 games of whoever’s in eighth place, they’ll have a chance to sneak into the postseason with a play-in scenario.

Now that Collins and Nurkic are fully healthy, don’t sleep on Rip City making a playoff push and playing with joy every step of the way.