The Portland Trail Blazers will host the visiting Washington Wizards at Moda Center on Monday evening.

Portland (2-0) has gotten a strong start to its season, earning a win in each of its first two contests. Most recently, the Trail Blazers took down the San Antonio Spurs in a 121-108 game at Moda Center. Portland led by as much as 20 during the fourth quarter, comfortably securing its second win to start the new year. All-Star point guard Damian Lillard led the team with 29 points and nine assists. C.J. McCollum added another 24 points, while big man Jusuf Nurkic scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The win continued the Trail Blazers' momentum from their season opener, in which they defeated the Lakers in LeBron James' LA debut.


Washington (0-2), on the other hand, has started off its season with consecutive losses. The Wizards are fresh off a 117-113 loss on Saturday to the Toronto Raptors, who eked out a win despite the absence of superstar wing Kawhi Leonard. One of the main areas of concern for Washington thus far has been rebounding; the Wizards were beaten 52-37 on the glass in Saturday's game. Newly-acquired big man Dwight Howard is still waiting to make his debut as he recovers from a lower back injury. In his absence, the team has been forced to turn to veteran role player Ian Mahinmi, who managed only 17 minutes on the floor against Toronto. Still, there have been bright spots for the Wizards. John Wall and Bradley Beal combined to score 57 points despite the loss.