Portland Trail Blazers Host Washington Wizards for Early 3 pm Tipoff

The Portland Trail Blazers will look to bounce again from an unpleasant, pricey Friday evening loss to the Dallas Mavericks when one other lottery-bound staff visits the Moda Center Sunday afternoon.

The Washington Wizards make their lone go to to Portland this season having misplaced 17 of their final 18 video games, however do not 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 better have a look at right this moment’s rematch.

The Blazers nonetheless have so much at stake with seven video games remaining within the common season.

Their path to the Western Conference’s eighth seed acquired a bit bit harder 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%) taking pictures 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 match approaches.

Even with key gamers lacking, the Blazers have to win video games like this to have any likelihood on the eighth seed and the friendlier path to a present 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 staff in a commerce that despatched former Blazer CJ McCollum to the Atlanta Hawks. Anthony Davis came visiting in a take care of the Dallas Mavericks just a few weeks later.

But neither have made an influence on this season. Young stays productive offensively, averaging 15.2 factors and 6.2 assists in restricted minutes (20.6 per sport) for the reason that commerce. But he has appeared in simply 5 video games (all losses), whereas Davis has but to swimsuit up for his new staff.

All of these DNP’s have added as much as a brutal few months on the courtroom for the Wizards. They snapped a 16-game shedding streak Wednesday evening 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 document.

Portland Trail Blazers (37-38) vs. Washington Wizards (17-56) – Sun. March twenty ninth – 3:00pm Pacific

How to look at by way of antenna or cable: See your choices on the Rip City Television Network.

How to look at by way of streaming: BlazerImaginative and prescient in Oregon and Washington; League Pass in all places 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).

Wizard 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 possibilities: The Blazers, largely because of 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 taking pictures and turned the ball over 5 occasions, tying a season-high.

Track Meet: The Wizards have not 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 staff tries to play quick. Since the All-Star break, they’re enjoying 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 the most effective of ’em, and he is due for a giant sport in opposition to his former staff. He’ll swimsuit up in opposition to the Wizards for simply the fourth time for the reason that 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 is averaging simply 12.3 factors and a couple of.0 assists per sport. He left final season’s sport at Washington early with an harm and was clearly nonetheless combating again soreness in opposition to the Wizards through the loss on January twenty seventh.

He scored 17 factors and grabbed 12 rebounds that evening, however made simply 2-6 from the free throw line, turned the ball over six occasions and registered a plus/minus of minus-9 throughout his minutes.

Maybe right this moment’s the day he lastly will get some revenge. He clearly desires to indicate out in opposition to the Wizards, and the Blazers may actually use a giant 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 more likely 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 evening, 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 reviews 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 basically good as a result of the Yoshino cherry timber across the Tidal Basin are beginning to come into full bloom.