The Wizards made their own attempt at openly tanking
The Washington Wizards lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 112-97 on Tuesday, ending their two-game winning streak.
With many teams near the bottom of the NBA standings resorting to blatant tanking tactics, the Wizards joined the fold on Tuesday, resting Jordan Poole and Khris Middleton for the entirety on the second half after the duo started the contest and played 11 first-half minutes.
Richaun Holmes, who’d been one of the team’s standout players over the past month, didn’t play, further cementing their updated tanking strategy.
Even Alex Sarr, who followed his career-high 34-point performance in Denver with 20 points through three quarters in Portland, didn’t play the entire fourth quarter. Neither did fellow rookies Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington.
Despite Washington playing an 11-man rotation comprised of many young, inexperienced players, Portland played quite well, outscoring Washington 59-49 in the first half against its top guys.
A string of runs highlighted the second half, with the Trail Blazers maintaining their lead throughout as they ran away with a decisive 112-97 victory.
Tristan Vukcevic was a bright spot off the bench, scoring 17 points on 3-6 3pt while grabbing eight rebounds. AJ Johnson got the starting nod, tallying eight points, seven rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.
Washington fell to 15-52.