The Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards will take the court Friday at Capital One Arena for an East-West clash from the nation's capital. Tip-off from Washington, DC, is at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Portland, 25-26 SU and 27-24 ATS, defeated Memphis 122-112 on Wednesday. The Blazers are 4-1 in their past five. Washington, 24-26 SU and 24-23-3 ATS, beat San Antonio 127-106 on Monday. The Wizards are 5-0 in their past five. This is the first meeting between the Trail Blazers and Wizards this season.
Portland's Jerami Grant is questionable with a concussion and Jusuf Nurkic is doubtful with a calf injury. Washington's Daniel Gafford is probable after missing the last game with an illness.
The Blazers are hot, with recent wins over Utah, Atlanta, and Memphis. Is this a short-lived spurt of success or a sign of things to come?
Portland defeated Memphis on Wednesday behind Damian Lillard's 42 points and ten assists. It was a significant victory, not just because of the opponent but also because the Trail Blazers lost two key players, Jusuf Nurkic and Jerami Grant, to injuries in the first half. Portland didn't quit when adversity struck, outscoring the Grizzlies 38-22 in the fourth quarter.
hotttttttt & ready highlights for u <3 pic.twitter.com/R5XiPVmrqr
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 2, 2023
“I knew I needed to be a little more aggressive just to give ourselves a chance,” said Anfernee Simons, who scored 26 points. “Everybody else played well, and everybody was ready to play.”
“I think we've had a couple of quality wins,” Lillard said. “This was the best team we've come up with a win against, especially as of late.”
Portland averages 114.3 points per game (16th) on 48.2 percent shooting from the field (7th), including 37.7 percent from long range (6th). It converts 79.1 percent of its free-throw attempts (11th) and averages 42.2 rebounds (22nd) with a +0.9 rebounding margin. The Blazers are 5th in the league in schedule-adjusted offensive rating and 8th in effective field goal percentage (55.8%), per Dunks and Threes.
The Blazers surrender 113.7 points per game on defense (16th), and their opponents shoot 47.8 percent fro m the floor (22nd), including 36.3 percent from three (20th). The Trail Blazers are 25th in defensive rating, 23rd in pace, and 24th in assist-per-turnover ratio this season.
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