The Portland Trail Blazers will look to bounce again from an unsightly, expensive Friday night time loss to the Dallas Mavericks when one other lottery-bound group visits the Moda Center Sunday afternoon.
The Washington Wizards make their lone go to to Portland this season having misplaced 17 of their previous 18 video games, however don’t anticipate the Blazers to look previous them. They’ve been burned by the Wizards earlier than, shedding 115-111 in Washington on January twenty seventh.
Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at in the present day’s rematch.
The Blazers nonetheless have quite a bit at stake with seven video games remaining within the common season.
Their path to the Western Conference’s eighth seed acquired a bit bit tougher after the 100-93 loss to the Mavericks on Friday. The ninth-place Blazers now path the Los Angeles Clippers by 1.5 video games within the standings and are simply 0.5 video games forward of the Golden State Warriors.
Against the Mavericks, the Blazers have been doomed by the identical points which have plagued them for a lot of the season — accidents, 25 turnovers, 8-30 (26.7%) capturing from behind the three-point line, and 23-33 (69.2%) from the free throw line.
Robert Williams III and Jerami Grant each left the sport early and their availability is in query because the common season winds down and the play-in event approaches.
Even with key gamers lacking, the Blazers must win video games like this to have any likelihood on the eighth seed and the friendlier path to an precise playoff berth.
There’s a lot much less at stake for the Wizards.
They made a pair of main acquisitions earlier than the commerce deadline and are positioning themselves to be extra aggressive subsequent season. Trae Young joined the group in a commerce that despatched former Blazer CJ McCollum to the Atlanta Hawks. Anthony Davis came visiting in a cope with the Dallas Mavericks a number of weeks later.
But neither have made an affect on this season. Young stays productive offensively, averaging 15.2 factors and 6.2 assists in restricted minutes (20.6 per sport) because the commerce. But he has appeared in simply 5 video games (all losses), whereas Davis has but to go well with up for his new group.
All of these DNP’s have added as much as a brutal few months on the court docket for the Wizards. They snapped a 16-game shedding streak Wednesday night time with a 133-110 highway win over the Utah Jazz, however they’re nonetheless in prime place to safe a high choose on this summer time’s NBA draft as they personal the league’s third-worst file.
Portland Trail Blazers (37-38) vs. Washington Wizards (17-56) – Sun. March twenty ninth – 3:00pm Pacific
How to observe by way of antenna or cable: See your choices on the Rip City Television Network.
How to observe by way of streaming: BlazerImaginative and prescient in Oregon and Washington; League Pass all over the place else
How to pay attention: Rip City Radio 620AM
Trail Blazers Injuries: Jerami Grant, Vit Krejčí, Damian Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe, Chris Youngblood (Out); Robert Williams III (Questionable).
Wizards Injuries: Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, De’Angelo Russell, Alex Sarr, Cam Whitmore, Trae Young (Out); Leaky Black, Bilal Coulibaly (Questionable).
SB Nation Affiliate: Bullets Forever
Second probabilities: The Blazers, principally due to the offensive rebounding of Donovan Clingan, lead the NBA in second-chance factors at 18.2 per sport. The Wizards quit probably the most offensive rebounds and permit the second-most second-chance factors per sport.
Look for Clingan to have a bounce-back efficiency. He corralled 17 rebounds in opposition to the Mavericks, however scored simply six factors on 2-9 capturing and turned the ball over 5 instances, tying a season-high.
Track Meet: The Wizards haven’t been capable of combine Young and Davis into their lineup. When that occurs, their offense will look very completely different. But this model of the group tries to play quick. Since the All-Star break, they’re taking part in on the third-fastest tempo within the league, whereas the Blazers clock in at eighth.
Expect each groups to get out and run at each alternative.
Turbo: Deni Avdija can run with one of the best of ‘em, and he’s due for an enormous sport in opposition to his former group. He’ll go well with up in opposition to the Wizards for simply the fourth time because the commerce that introduced him to Portland in the summertime of 2024.
In three matchups in opposition to the Wizards since becoming a member of the Blazers, he’s averaging simply 12.3 factors and a pair of.0 assists per sport. He left final season’s sport at Washington early with an harm and was clearly nonetheless battling again soreness in opposition to the Wizards in the course of the loss on January twenty seventh.
He scored 17 factors and grabbed 12 rebounds that night time, however made simply 2-6 from the free throw line, turned the ball over six instances and registered a plus/minus of minus-9 throughout his minutes.
Maybe in the present day’s the day he lastly will get some revenge. He clearly needs to indicate out in opposition to the Wizards, and the Blazers may actually use an enormous sport from him this afternoon.
Next Man Up: Who will step up within the absence of Grant? Kris Murray, Sidy Cissoko and Matisse Thybulle are prone to see further minutes. Can Murray bounce again from a rough night?
Who does Acting Coach Tiago Splitter insert into the beginning lineup? Can Scoot Henderson present some offensive punch? Or will Caleb Love, who performed in rubbish time in opposition to the Bucks on Wednesday night time, see his first significant NBA motion since earlier than the All-Star break?
It’s cherry blossom season in Portland and within the nation’s capital.
Albert Lee of SB Nation affiliate Bullets Forever studies that the Wizards are celebrating by saying the return of their alternate cherry blossom uniforms for the 2026-2027 season:
The timing of this announcement is admittedly good as a result of the Yoshino cherry timber across the Tidal Basin are beginning to come into full bloom.
