Trail Blazers, Wizards search for positives at end of lost season

The Portland Trail Blazers bid to record back-to-back wins for the first time in more than a month when they visit another bottom-five NBA team in the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

The Trail Blazers (20-56) defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on consecutive nights (March 1-2) before dropping 14 of their next 16 games. Portland snapped its season-high 10-game losing skid on Wednesday night with an 89-86 victory over the host Charlotte Hornets.

Deandre Ayton collected 24 points and 16 rebounds and Jabari Walker added 14 and a career-high 22, respectively, against the Hornets. Rookie Scoot Henderson recorded 22 points and 10 assists for the Trail Blazers, with the third overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft pocketing the slight edge over the No. 2 selection Brandon Miller (21 points) of Charlotte.

"The last probably five or six minutes, I thought Scoot was really good at slowing down and getting the ball to (Ayton) where it should've been," Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. "Obviously, Jabari was a man amongst boys out there (on Wednesday), getting his career high in rebounds and hitting the two big free throws."

Ayton is averaging 23.1 points and 13.3 rebounds in 10 games since returning from a sprained right hand. He also scored 23 points and added 16 boards in the Trail Blazers' 118-117 setback to the visiting Wizards on Dec. 21.

Kyle Kuzma scored 32 points in that game for the Wizards (15-62), who are one loss shy of matching the franchise record. Washington finished with a paltry 19-63 mark of 2000-01 and matched that record in 2008-09.

The current Wizards aren't setting the world on fire, either. They fell for the fourth time in five games with a 125-120 setback to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Washington trimmed a 13-point deficit with 1:21 to play down to five before succumbing to LeBron James and company.

"Our resolve and stick-to-itiveness was good," Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe said. "That's the stuff that we want to see. Not happy with not winning the game, but we stuck with it, and we stayed together through the tough times and that's what you want to see from your group."

Jordan Poole scored 29 points to pace Washington, marking the fourth time in his last six outings that he has reached the 20-point plateau.

Kuzma added 17 points and 12 rebounds against his former team to notch his 14th double-double of the season and second in three games.

Marvin Bagley III sprained his right knee during the Wizards' 117-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday and sat out Wednesday's game.

Rookie Tristan Vukcevic followed up his 14-point, seven-rebound effort versus the Bucks by draining three 3-pointers to finish with 15 points against the Lakers. Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, he also had five fouls while trying his best to keep Anthony Davis under wraps.

"He just needs to get stronger, honestly," Kuzma said of the 7-foot Vukcevic, per the Washington Post. "That boy can play."