The Portland Trail Blazers will look to bounce back from an ugly, costly Friday night loss to the Dallas Mavericks when another lottery-bound team visits the Moda Center Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The Washington Wizards make their lone visit to Portland this season having lost 17 of their past 18 games, but don\u2019t expect the Blazers to look past them. They\u2019ve been burned by the Wizards before, losing 115-111 in Washington on January 27th.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a closer look at today\u2019s rematch.<\/p>\n
The Blazers still have a lot at stake with seven games remaining in the regular season.<\/p>\n
Their path to the Western Conference\u2019s eighth seed got a little bit more difficult after the 100-93 loss to the Mavericks on Friday. The ninth-place Blazers now trail the Los Angeles Clippers by 1.5 games in the standings and are just 0.5 games ahead of the Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n
Against the Mavericks, the Blazers were doomed by the same issues that have plagued them for much of the season \u2014 injuries, 25 turnovers, 8-30 (26.7%) shooting from behind the three-point line, and 23-33 (69.2%) from the free throw line.<\/p>\n
Robert Williams III and Jerami Grant both left the game early and their availability is in question as the regular season winds down and the play-in tournament approaches.<\/p>\n
Even with key players missing, the Blazers need to win games like this to have any chance at the eighth seed and the friendlier path to an actual playoff berth.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s much less at stake for the Wizards.<\/p>\n
They made a pair of major acquisitions before the trade deadline and are positioning themselves to be more competitive next season. Trae Young joined the team in a trade that sent former Blazer CJ McCollum to the Atlanta Hawks. Anthony Davis came over in a deal with the Dallas Mavericks a few weeks later.<\/p>\n
But neither have made an impact on this season. Young remains productive offensively, averaging 15.2 points and 6.2 assists in limited minutes (20.6 per game) since the trade. But he has appeared in just five games (all losses), while Davis has yet to suit up for his new team.<\/p>\n
All of those DNP\u2019s have added up to a brutal few months on the court for the Wizards. They snapped a 16-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 133-110 road win over the Utah Jazz, but they are still in prime position to secure a top pick in this summer\u2019s NBA draft as they own the league\u2019s third-worst record.<\/p>\n
Portland Trail Blazers (37-38) vs. Washington Wizards (17-56) – Sun. March 29th – 3:00pm Pacific<\/p>\n
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network.<\/p>\n
How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else<\/p>\n
How to listen: Rip City Radio 620AM<\/p>\n
Trail Blazers Injuries: Jerami Grant, Vit Krej\u010d\u00ed, Damian Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe, Chris Youngblood (Out); Robert Williams III (Questionable).<\/p>\n
Wizards Injuries: Anthony Davis, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, De\u2019Angelo Russell, Alex Sarr, Cam Whitmore, Trae Young (Out); Leaky Black, Bilal Coulibaly (Questionable).<\/p>\n
SB Nation Affiliate: Bullets Forever<\/a><\/p>\n Second chances: The Blazers, mostly thanks to the offensive rebounding of Donovan Clingan, lead the NBA in second-chance points at 18.2 per game. The Wizards give up the most offensive rebounds and allow the second-most second-chance points per game.<\/p>\n Look for Clingan to have a bounce-back performance. He corralled 17 rebounds against the Mavericks, but scored just six points on 2-9 shooting and turned the ball over five times, tying a season-high.<\/p>\n Track Meet: The Wizards haven\u2019t been able to integrate Young and Davis into their lineup. When that happens, their offense will look very different. But this version of the team tries to play fast. Since the All-Star break, they are playing at the third-fastest pace in the league, while the Blazers clock in at eighth.<\/p>\n Expect both teams to get out and run at every opportunity.<\/p>\n Turbo: Deni Avdija can run with the best of \u2018em, and he\u2019s due for a big game against his former team. He\u2019ll suit up against the Wizards for just the fourth time since the trade that brought him to Portland in the summer of 2024.<\/p>\n In three matchups against the Wizards since joining the Blazers, he\u2019s averaging just 12.3 points and 2.0 assists per game. He left last season\u2019s game at Washington early with an injury and was clearly still struggling with back soreness against the Wizards during the loss on January 27th.<\/p>\n He scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds that night, but made just 2-6 from the free throw line, turned the ball over six times and registered a plus\/minus of minus-9 during his minutes.<\/p>\n Maybe today\u2019s the day he finally gets some revenge. He clearly wants to show out against the Wizards, and the Blazers could really use a big game from him this afternoon.<\/p>\n Next Man Up: Who will step up in the absence of Grant? Kris Murray, Sidy Cissoko and Matisse Thybulle are likely to see additional minutes. Can Murray bounce back from a rough night<\/a>?<\/p>\n Who does Acting Coach Tiago Splitter insert into the starting lineup? Can Scoot Henderson provide some offensive punch? Or will Caleb Love, who played in garbage time against the Bucks on Wednesday night, see his first meaningful NBA action since before the All-Star break?<\/p>\n It\u2019s cherry blossom season in Portland and in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n