Kyle Kuzma and the Washington Wizards (29-37) took on Josh Hart and the Portland Trail Blazers (26-40) in part of the NBA Saturday slate. It was the Blazers who won this one with 127-118 being the final score.
Yes, you read that correctly. Kuzma and Hart were the featured players in this one with Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Anfernee Simons headlining the names on the inactive list. Hart did not disappoint with a career-high 44 points while Kuzma chipped in 22 points.
For the Trail Blazers, they also received 20-point nights from Trendon Watford (27) and Drew Eubanks (20) in this one. Both players were key in elevating the offense on a night the bench had minimal contributions.
This Trail Blazers vs Wizards matchup featured two teams that are in actually relatively similar positions as franchises right now. They both have a sidelined star that isn’t good enough to lead a team to a title on their own and are looking to re-tool around them in the offseason.
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With the Kristaps Porzingis trade, the Washington Wizards got aggressive sooner to add a name next to Beal. Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers focused on clearing cap room to pay Anfernee Simons and add more talent in the offseason.
Both teams are somehow within relative reach of a play-in spot in their respective conference, too. But, still aren’t a real threat to make that kind of push.
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