The Portland Trail Blazers (18-24) visit the Washington Wizards (20-19) at the Verizon Center on Jan. 16, Monday as the 2016-2017 NBA regular season moves forward.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 2:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Portland has been inconsistent in their last several matches, winning three and losing three in their last six. The team is now holding on to the eighth spot of the Western Conference standings, only a half-game in front of ninth-place squad Sacramento Kings and six-and-a-half games behind sixth-seeded team Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Blazers are coming off a 115-109 loss to the Orlando Magic last Friday at their home court of Moda Center for their second loss in their last four games, as per USA Today.
Despite the loss, Damian Lillard had an excellent night with 34 points, eight rebounds, and three assists while CJ McCollum backed him up with 26 points, three boards, two assists, one steal, and three blocks.
Off the bench, Evan Turner contributed 15 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Portland continues to have problems when it comes to their frontcourt production as starting center Mason Plumlee only had seven points and seven boards while starting power forward Al-Farouq Aminu chipped in just eight points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Wizards have found their form in their recent assignments as the team has won four of their last four matches. The team is currently sharing fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers with the three teams having identical records.
Washington routed the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-93, during their most recent game on Saturday night also at their home court of Verizon Center, SB Nation reported.
All five starters of head coach Scott Brooks' squad scored in double figures, led by the backcourt combo of John Wall with 25 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals and Bradley Beal with 20 points, four boards, one assist, and one steal.
Markieff Morris fired 14 points with nine rebounds and one assist while Marcin Gortat had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Otto Porter Jr. rounded out the first five with 10 points and six rebounds.
Prediction
The Blazers are a poor road team with a 7-15 slate so far this season while the Wizards are excellent at home with a 16-6 record. A tough victory for Washington is predicted.
