An 82-game NBA season presents few opportunities like the one the Wizards had against the Trail Blazers on Saturday.
In serious need of a win — losers of five of their last seven and falling out of the hunt for the last play-in spot — the Wizards faced off against a struggling Portland team that was without several of its best players. Despite the advantage, Washington (29-37) lost 127-118 for its third straight defeat on the West Coast road trip.
The Blazers, already one of the worst teams in the NBA, were without Damian Lillard, Nassir Little, Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic.