Trail Blazers come up short vs. Wolves + Norman Powell returns + Cody Zeller has surgery

The Portland Trail Blazers came up just short against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, losing 109-107 in a game that came down to the final shot. It was too much Anthony Edwards (40 points) and not enough Anfernee Simons and CJ McCollum (32 points combined), and yet the Blazers still had a chance at the buzzer to win the game. This one demands a closer look at what happened in crunch time. Plus Norman Powell returned to action after missing eight games. He came off the bench for the first time in his Blazers career and he looked like someone who hadn't played basketball in three weeks. But his returns means Chauncey Billups has to make a choice about starting Nassir Little at small forward or returning to a three-guard look that includes Powell. Finally, Cody Zeller is headed for knee surgery that will keep him out for two months and almost certainly end his Blazers career as he heads into free agency. His absence for the remainder of the season underscores Portland's lack of depth along the frontline. A problem that showed up Tuesday against Minnesota and will stick around for as long as this version of the roster exists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices