Portland Trail Blazers vs Washington Wizards: How to Watch, Odds and Game Preview (March 29)

The Portland Trail Blazers will host the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon at Moda Center in Portland. Portland enters this matchup at 37-38, while Washington comes in at 17-56, giving the Blazers a major edge on paper in a game oddsmakers expect them to control. Still, after Friday night’s disappointing loss to the Dallas Mavericks as heavy favorites, this is another reminder that nothing can be taken for granted.

This is clearly a game the Trail Blazers should win, but that was also true Friday night against Dallas, and Portland did not take care of business. That makes this matchup a little more interesting than it otherwise would have been, because now the Blazers need to respond and avoid letting one bad loss turn into something more damaging. On paper, Portland has a huge advantage, entering as a 15.5-point favorite against a Wizards team with only 17 wins all season.

Even so, the Blazers are not at full strength, and that remains the biggest factor hovering over this team right now. Portland is still without Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant, which puts even more pressure on players like Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan to step up and carry a larger load. Offense has been the biggest issue for the Blazers lately, so this is another opportunity to see whether they can generate enough consistent scoring despite the absences. If Portland plays with the right urgency and gets strong performances from its key healthy contributors, this is a game it should be able to win comfortably.

Following this contest, the Trail Blazers will travel to LA to take on the Clippers on Tuesday. That matchup will be another important opportunity as Portland looks to finish the season strong despite its injury challenges.