The Wizards headed into Capital One Arena on Friday night boasting a six-game winning streak and ready to play in front of D.C. fans for the first time in nearly two weeks. After a solid first half for the Wizards, the Trail Blazers turned the tables in the second half leading to a 124-116 Wizards loss. Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal combined for 66 points in the defeat.
STRONG START FROM THE WIZARDS
Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis got the scoring going early for the Wizards. Beal drove to the cup on the first possession of the game, missed the layup, got the rebound, and put it back up and in. That play set the tone for the squad. The Wizards were playing quick and loose in the first quarter, jumping out to a 15-2 lead. The Blazers got back in the game briefly, but the Wizards responded with a 13-2 run, independent of the 15-2 run to start the game. At the end of the first quarter, the Wizards held a 36-19 lead behind Porzingis' 16 points and Beal's nine.
The second quarter was more of the same for Beal, Porzingis, and the whole squad. At the break, the Wizards held a commanding 69-51 lead.
BLAZERS HEAT UP IN THE SECOND HALF
The second half felt like a different game than the first half. After a mediocre first half (six points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field), Simons turned up the heat. He went berserk to start the second half, knocking down four threes on four attempts in the first four minutes. Then, a couple of minutes later, Damian Lillard got himself going by knocking down threes on back-to-back possessions. At that point, the Blazers had swung the momentum.
When asked about Simons' second-half start, Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said, "That first [three] was tough. There was a bit of coverage confusion on that second one. Now, he's seen two go in and he can heat up in a hurry."
The Blazers splashed home nine threes on 14 attempts in the third period. They outscored the Wizards 39-25.
In the fourth quarter, it was more of the same. The Wizards' offense struggled with stagnation and the Blazers knocked down timely shots. Portland took their first lead with 7:41 left in the game and never looked back. They used that momentum to carry them to a 124-116 victory, snapping the Wizards' six-game winning streak. Simons finished the game with 33 points on 9-of-12 shooting from three-point land.
BEAL AND PORZINGIS COMBINE FOR 66 POINTS
Beal and Porzingis had two of their best respective games of the season, scoring from all three levels of the court and shouldering the load offensively. Beal looked as aggressive as ever, scoring a season-high 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting from the field and 4-of-10 shooting from deep. Porzingis finished the night with 32 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 11-of-12 shooting from the free throw line to go along with eight rebounds and four assists.
The Wizards have a quick turnaround, heading to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Saturday evening.