The Washington Wizards have endured a long season but are fresh off one of their most enjoyable moments.
The Wizards will look to follow up a stunning victory over the Denver Nuggets with another solid performance when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
Washington (15-51) completed a surprising season sweep of the Nuggets on Saturday with a 126-123 victory. Jordan Poole swished a 35-foot, 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining to break the tie and give the Wizards their sixth win in the past 10 games.
Poole immediately could sense the victory was a mighty accomplishment for an inexperienced group that has struggled most of the season.
“Being a young team, I think it’s just really good for us,” Poole said afterward. “It was big for us, and I feel a lot of our players grew up (Saturday night), and those are the things that don’t only set us up for the next game or next week or the end of this season.
“But that sets up for next year, trying to make playoff runs, needing to win big games … and it’s just good for our guys to see that right now.”
No. 2 overall draft pick Alex Sarr scored a career-high 34 points. The 19-year-old also had six rebounds and five assists while going against three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
The Wizards stand 3-2 on a seven-game road trip that will conclude Wednesday against the Utah Jazz.
Washington defeated the Detroit Pistons 129-125 on Thursday before slaying the Nuggets in the game that went back-and-forth in the final minute prior to Poole’s long-distance strike.
“That was a joyous moment, obviously,” Washington rookie guard Bub Carrington said. “We got the win, a buzzer beater, and it felt like a really hard-fought team win. Alex went off, but it felt like a really good win for all of us.”
Portland (29-39) had a joyous time on Sunday as it defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 105-102 to snap a five-game losing streak.
The Trail Blazers haven’t given up on the Western Conference play-in race even though they stand 3 1/2 games out of the final spot with 14 games to play.
While Portland was racking up losses, the ninth-place Sacramento Kings have dropped their past four games and the 10th-place Dallas Mavericks have lost three straight. The Phoenix Suns are in 11th place, two games ahead of Portland.
“We’re still watching the standings,” Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons said. “We know it’s a tougher road ahead. We’ve got to hope (other teams) lose, we got to keep winning. So just focus on that.”
Simons scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter against Toronto in a contest Portland trailed by 16 in the second quarter.
Toumani Camara scored 21 points and matched his career high of five 3-pointers. Simons made six treys.
Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said he liked how his team played down the stretch. In Portland’s previous game on Wednesday, a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Mikal Bridges gave the New York Knicks a 114-113 overtime victory.
“The thing that stood out to me was the growth that we showed at the end of the game,” Billups said. “… I thought it was awesome to be in that spot again so quick and see ‘can we learn?’ And then we did. I was proud of our guys for it.”
Matisse Thybulle (ankle) made his season debut for the Trail Blazers, and the stellar defender had two rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot in six minutes.
Portland notched a 129-121 road win over Washington on Feb. 26. Shaedon Sharpe scored a career-best 36 points for the Trail Blazers. Poole had 24 points for the Wizards.
–Field Level Media
