PORTLAND, Oregon. — Josh Hart scored a career-high 44 points as he helped the Portland Trail Blazers complete a six-game drift with a 127-118 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Hart also grabbed eight rebounds and had six assists in Portland’s first win since the All-Star break.
“Before the game, I made some adjustments to my jump shot so I approached this game with more confidence,” Hart said. “I would definitely like to get 50. I don’t know when I will have another night like this. So next time I’ll have to ask Trendon (Watford) to pass the ball to me a little more.”
Hart was not the only Trail Blazers player to have a career night as his teammates Watford (27 points) and Drew Eubanks (20) set personal bests.
“I’m blessed, I’m happy I got 44. I got Barack Obama,” Hart said. “I felt a bit like Dame (Lillard), except I didn’t do the right lateral step 3.”
Several Blazers players felt Friday’s practice was instrumental in breaking their losing streak.
“We had a short and enjoyable workout,” Eubanks said. “It was a 30-minute practice, but it was one of those practices where we call fouls ourselves, and I think tonight it increased our competitiveness.”
Kentavius Caldwell-Pope scored 26 points and Kyle Kuzma added 22 points to the Wizards who took their top scorers away with 2:49 left and the game was out of reach. This came the day after a 122–109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“You don’t have to worry about the schedule,” said Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. We cannot use this as an excuse. They were a more aggressive team and we didn’t take away any of the strengths we talked about. And we paid the price for it.”
With a dunk midway through the third quarter, Hart surpassed his previous career high of 30 points. From that point on, things got even more impressive, highlighted by a four-point game with 6:49 left.
Afterwards, Portland fans began to make a “wave” and showered Hart with a faint chant of “MVP!” It was changed to curtain with 1:27 left.
For Washington, hot three-point shooting (14 of 34, 41%) was not enough to avoid a third loss in a row. The loss pushed the Wizards away from the 10th and last seed in the Eastern Conference.
While Portland didn’t score 3rd while Hart’s jumper from 5:49 until the end of the first quarter didn’t matter, the difference in three-point shots (11 of 30, 37%).
The only first-round pick in Portland’s starting lineup on Saturday night, Hart scored his first 11 points in 1:39.
TIP-INS
Wizards: The Washingtons got off to a rocky start to their current journey, missing games in Los Angeles against the Clippers and Lakers. However, freshman coach Wes Unseld Jr. found a few positives during the trip. “I thought we had a good stretch against the Clippers. There were about seven or eight possessions when we got stops and we were able to get out and push and it just resulted in a light offense. This is something we need to strengthen, you are rewarded when you defend.”
Trail Blazers: Eric Bledsoe, despite suffering from an Achilles injury, is facing a range of challenges, so it’s unknown if he’ll return this season, according to coach Chauncey Billups. “He had several situations when he got here, and we had to strengthen him so that he would not take risks there. He’s such a tough nut to crack that he hasn’t missed a game for the Clippers with all the injuries he’s had.” Anferny Simons will miss the next 1-2 weeks with a patellar tendinopathy, but Billups said Simons’ knee MRI results were “relieved”.
NEXT
Wizards: At the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.
Trail Blazers: At the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
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