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The Wizards (10-23) host the Trail Blazers (14-21) Friday night at 7:00 P.M. in the first game of a home back-to-back. With Bradley Beal back in the lineup, Washington looks to bounce back from a Wednesday loss to the Magic while Portland is looking to snap a five-losing streak.
Washington will be without Bradley Beal (lower right leg soreness) for the third time in the last four games. Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said Beal reaggravated the injury Wednesday against Orlando, but that it is not considered serious and he will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.
Game Info
Capital One Arena | 7:00 P.M. | NBCSW | 1500 AM
Probable Starters
Wizards: G – Isaiah Thomas, G – Gary Payton II, G – Troy Brown Jr., F – Johnathan Williams, C – Ian Mahinmi
Trail Blazers: G – Damian Lillard, G – CJ McCollum, F – Kent Bazemore, F – Carmelo Anthony, C – Hassan Whiteside
Injury Report
Wizards: Bradley Beal (lower right leg soreness – out), Davis Bertans (right quad strain – out), Thomas Bryant (right foot stress reaction – out), Rui Hachimura (groin injury – out), C.J. Miles (left wrist surgery – out), Moritz Wagner (left ankle sprain – out), John Wall (left Achilles rehab – out)
Trail Blazers: Zach Collins (left shoulder dislocation – out), Mario Hezonja (lower back pain – probable), Rodney Hood (ruptured left Achilles tendon – out), Skal Labissiere (left knee inflammation – out), Jusuf Nurkic (fractured left leg – out)
Storylines
Wizards bench maximizing minutes
With the Wizards battling an unprecedented rush of injuries the last handful of weeks, the team has leaned on rookies, G Leaguers and journeymen alike to keep the ship afloat. Already one of the younger, smaller teams in the league, the Wizards were forced to go even younger and even smaller – and have relied greatly on their depth to keep production up. This week, against Miami and Orlando, it has been the team’s bench production that has made the most noise. Against the Heat, Washington scored a franchise-record 80 bench points, led by Jordan McRae’s season-high 29 points and career-high eight assists and a career-high 28 points from rookie two-way player Garrison Mathews. The Wizards’ bench joined the LA Clippers bench as the only reserve unit to score 80-plus points in a game this season. On Wednesday, the Wizards bench followed that performance up with a 57-point showing against the Magic. McRae scored 15 points and gabbed seven rebounds to lead four Wizards reserves scoring in double figures. Over the last two games, Anzejs Pasecniks (25.7), Garrison Mathews (21.6), Isaac Bonga (17.2), Ish Smith (15.3) and Jordan McRae (12.1), all of whom came off the bench in those two games, rank 1-5 on the team in net rating.
“This is part of building character,” Ian Mahinmi said after Monday’s win over the Heat. “When you’re down and you have a lot of injuries and stuff going on and not going your way…to have the toughness of a young player to come out and step up, make big plays, be aggressive, make the right read, play good defense and give everything you have is huge. All of our young guys are taking tremendous advantage of their opportunity, so it’s good. There’s a lot of stuff not going our way, but I’m very proud of what everyone is doing.”
The Portland roster touts some of the better top-end talent in the league, but its bench unit ranks 28th in scoring (27.3 points per game), and totaled just 13 points in a loss to the Knicks on Wednesday. Keep an eye on where and when the Wizards’ runs come on Friday night, especially as substitutions begin.
Up-and-down Blazers enter weekend on five-game slide
Two weeks ago, it seemed Portland’s sluggish start to the season had subsided, or at least leveled out, when the team topped Minnesota 113-106 on December 21. The Blazers had won four straight and five of six, though each of those wins had come against sub-.500 teams. Since then, their schedule grew more difficult and their struggles have returned. Portland enters Friday’s game against Washington on a five-game losing streak and is coming off a 24-point loss to a Knicks team that entered that game with just nine wins.
In the last five games, the Blazers’ net rating (minus-11.2) ranks 28th in the NBA, topping only the Hawks and Hornets. In that time, both of their All-Star guards, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, are scoring below their averages and are shooting a combined 30.1% from 3-point range. As the only players on the roster that pose a consistent threat from deep, the rest of the Portland offense has been stifled as the duo’s long-distance production has ceased.