The Portland Trail Blazers, after being defeated in Milwaukee on Monday, bounced back on Tuesday in Washington, winning 132-121.
Of course, this may not seem so important, as the Wizards (4-13) now have a better chance of winning choice # 1 in the 2021 NBA draft than making it to the playoffs. But Washington was coming out of a 149-146 victory over Brooklyn on Sunday and was starting to get healthier. In addition, the Blazers didn’t look much like a playoff team during their 134-106 loss at Bucks (12-8).
Portland’s defense didn’t play well on Tuesday, but managed to finish the job at the end of the game after the Wizards gave it a final push after losing double digits most of the night.
“I am very satisfied with the way we play,” said Portland coach Terry Stotts. “We started very well and kept the lead. We received many contributions from many guys. It was a difficult consecutive fight, losing an hour and arriving at 3 am. I was very proud of how our boys played at both ends. “
Damian Lillard, who said he was dealing with an irritating abdominal injury, led the Blazers with 32 points and eight assists, but five other players also ended in double digits.
“We are dropping a lot of bodies now, so it will be a group effort,” said Lillard.
Portland was without Derrick Jones Jr. (sprained foot) and Nassir Little (knee), as well as CJ McCollum (broken foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (broken wrist).
Lillard said he sought to play a team game instead of playing the hero to get others to roll. Lillard had 11 points in the interval with the Blazers winning 75-63.
Lillard said his abdominal injury was not serious.
“It is not something that concerns me,” he said. “It’s annoying. It is irritating and prevents you from moving the way you want. It is not new. It is something I have always dealt with ”.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN
The Blazers (11-9) have guaranteed that they will return home after a six-game trip with at least a record of 0.500 in total. Tuesday victory left the Blazers tied with Golden State for seventh place in the Western Conference.
It’s over when …
The Blazers achieved a 40-23 lead after the first quarter and, from there, managed to keep Washington at bay. The Wizards made the game more interesting on several occasions, including when the score went from 114-100 Blazers with 7:56 remaining to 122-118 Portland with 4:05 remaining.
But the Wizards managed to score just three points in the rest of the game. Blazers owner Gary Trent Jr. hit a three at the 3:16 mark and then Lillard scored in a dunk to score 127-118 with 2:12 remaining.
Lillard’s retreat of almost 8 meters with 1:12 remaining put the game on ice at 132-118.
CARMELO ANTHONY PASSES DOMINIQUE WILKINS
Blazers striker Carmelo Anthony, who had been struggling with his kicking touch recently, hit 8 of 16 shots for 21 points and, in the process, overtook former Atlanta giants Dominique Wilkins to 13th on the list of top scorers of all time in the NBA.
Anthony said he learned of his achievement while checking in at the game, when a person at the scorer’s table informed him that he had passed Wilkins.
Anthony entered the game with 26,654 points, behind Wilkins (26,668) by just 14.
Anthony now has 26,675 points. Next in his sights is Milwaukee Bucks legend Oscar Robertson (26,710).
“I just want to keep going up the stairs,” said Anthony. “And when it’s all said and done, see where I am.”
PRESENTED AND SHOWN
Almost all Blazer’s played well.
Striker Robert Covington, mired in a long fall, hit 6 of 8 shots for 19 points and had nine rebounds.
“I like the way he threw the ball with confidence,” said Stotts.
The center Enes Kanter destroyed from the inside with 14 points from 6 of 10 shots and had 15 rebounds.
The guy who set the tone early was Trent. He came out hot from the start and finished with 26 points from 8 of 16 shots while making 7 of 9 trios. He did it all when trying to defend Washington guard Bradley Beal, who finished with 37 points.
“Defensively, he had a rough night tonight,” said Stotts. “Bradley Beal is a great player. A great striker. In order to have the offensive night he had, in addition to chasing Bradley Beal all night, I thought he had a really good night. “
Beal’s fellow guard Russell Westbrook ended with 17 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds. But each had four turnovers.
Both teams fired very well. Portland had 21 out of 46 threesomes (45.7%). Washington won 16 out of 40 (40%).
SHOWN AND FIZZLED
The only two Blazers who fought were striker Harry Giles III and playmaker Anfernee Simons, who Stotts said had a sore tendon. Both were 1 of 4 on the course. Giles had two points and seven rebounds. Simons, who scored three, finished with three points, two rebounds and an assist.
NEXT (Blazers Schedule)
The six-game trip continues at 5 pm on Thursday in Philadelphia (15-6) and ends at 10 am on Saturday at the New York Knicks (9-13).
– Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress(Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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