Through 2 Quarters
The point spread is against the Portland Trail Blazers, but thus far the points are on their side. They are in control with a 68-57 lead over the Washington Wizards.
The Trail Blazers have been led by shooting guard Anfernee Simons, who so far has shot 7-for-10 from beyond the arc and has recorded 26 points and six assists. One thing Rip City has working against them is foul trouble: Nassir Little, Ben McLemore, and Trendon Watford have all picked up some fouls.
Washington has been relying on small forward Corey Kispert, who has 11 points in addition to five boards, and point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who has 16 points and four assists.
Who’s Playing
Portland @ Washington
Current Records: Portland 16-25; Washington 22-20
What to Know
The Washington Wizards will take on the Portland Trail Blazers at 7 p.m. ET Saturday at Capital One Arena after having had a few days off. Washington will be strutting in after a victory while Portland will be stumbling in from a loss.
Even if it wasn’t a dominant performance, the Wizards beat the Orlando Magic 112-106 on Wednesday. Washington relied on the efforts of power forward Kyle Kuzma, who almost posted a triple-double on 19 points, ten rebounds, and nine dimes, and center Montrezl Harrell, who had 16 points along with eight boards.
Meanwhile, there’s no need to mince words: Portland lost to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, and they lost bad. The score wound up at 140-108. Portland was down 101-80 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. The top scorers for the Trail Blazers were shooting guard Ben McLemore (18 points) and point guard Dennis Smith Jr. (17 points).
The Wizards are the favorite in this one, with an expected 7.5-point margin of victory. Now might not be the best time to take Washington against the spread since they’ve let down bettors for the past five consecutive games.
Washington is now 22-20 while Portland sits at 16-25. A couple numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Washington enters the game with 20 fouls drawn per game on average, good for fourth best in the league. The Trail Blazers are completely their equal: they also come into the contest with 20 fouls drawn per game. Be prepared to get familiar with the officiating crew.
How To Watch
- When: Saturday at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Capital One Arena — Washington, District of Columbia
- TV: NBC Sports Washington
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $33.95
Odds
The Wizards are a big 7.5-point favorite against the Trail Blazers, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 7.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -112
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Series History
Portland have won seven out of their last 12 games against Washington.
- Feb 20, 2021 – Washington 118 vs. Portland 111
- Feb 02, 2021 – Portland 132 vs. Washington 121
- Mar 04, 2020 – Portland 125 vs. Washington 104
- Jan 03, 2020 – Portland 122 vs. Washington 103
- Nov 18, 2018 – Portland 119 vs. Washington 109
- Oct 22, 2018 – Washington 125 vs. Portland 124
- Dec 05, 2017 – Washington 106 vs. Portland 92
- Nov 25, 2017 – Portland 108 vs. Washington 105
- Mar 11, 2017 – Washington 125 vs. Portland 124
- Jan 16, 2017 – Washington 120 vs. Portland 101
- Mar 08, 2016 – Portland 116 vs. Washington 109
- Jan 18, 2016 – Portland 108 vs. Washington 98
Injury Report for Washington
- Davis Bertans: Out (Foot)
- Bradley Beal: Out (Covid-19)
Injury Report for Portland
- Norman Powell: Out (Covid-19)
- Larry Nance Jr.: Out (Knee)
- CJ McCollum: Out (Not Injury Related)
- Cody Zeller: Out (Knee)
- Damian Lillard: Out (Abdomen)
