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Will Russell Westbrook Play Tonight? Washington Wizards vs Portland Trail Blazers: Preview, Lineups & Predictions

Published 02/02/2021, 2:41 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The injury-laden Portland Trail Blazers had an embarrassing loss against the Bucks in their last outing. Despite the loss, they still find themselves in playoff contention as they are the 8th seed with 11 wins and 9 losses.

The Washington Wizards pulled off an amazing comeback in their last game against the Nets to win their 4th game of the season. The Wizards will hope that this win is the start of their amazing comeback to form.

The Trail Blazers face off against Wizards tonight at 8:00 PM EST. Take a look at the probable lineups and the injury list of both the teams.

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Washington Wizards injury update and lineup prediction

The Wizards had a shocking victory against the Eastern Conference juggernaut Brooklyn Nets. With 10 seconds remaining on the clock, the Wizards put up an incredible comeback to win the game 149-146.

The biggest positive for the side was the resurgence of Russell Westbrook. Westbrook, who was their marquee signing in the off-season, finally looking like his old self and put up a vintage performance as he scored 41 points. In addition, he put in a shooting masterclass notching 57% from the field.

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USA Today via Reuters

However, the Wizards are plagued by some injury concerns. Their backup guard Raul Neto is out with a groin injury and center Thomas Bryant with a torn ACL.

The Wizards saw some good form from Westbrook against the Nets and will hope that they can build on the same against the Blazers.

Probable Lineup

Bradley Beal (G)

Russell Westbrook (G)

Rui Hachimura (F)

Deni Avdija (F)

Robin Lopez (C)

Trail Blazers injury updates and lineup prediction

The Blazers, who pulled off an amazing comeback win against the Bulls, had a disastrous outing against the Milwaukee Bucks as they were destroyed in a 134-101 loss.

An off night from their talisman, Damian Lillard and disappointing performances from the bench players resulted in the 9th loss of their season.

USA Today via Reuters

The Blazers have multiple injury woes. McCollum is out with a hairline fracture to his left foot. Nurkic, meanwhile, is out with a right wrist fracture.

Backup center Zach Collins and guard CJ Elleby will also miss the game against the Wizards with an ankle and a foot injury, respectively. Starting forward, Derrick Jones Jr. is out as he recovers from a foot injury.

Portland will hope that Lillard can be back to his lethal best against the Wizards and help them win their 11th game of the season.

Probable Lineup

Damian Lillard (G)

Rodney Hood (G)

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Nassir Little (F)

Robert Covington (F)

Enes Kanter (C)

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Predictions

The Washington Wizards finally saw their second star, Russell Westbrook, return to form. While the Trail Blazers have multiple starters out with injuries. Given the form that the Wizards are in and the injury woes for Portland, the Wizards have a slight edge over the Trail Blazers.

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Written by:

Aditya Mohapatra

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Aditya Mohapatra is a sports enthusiast who primarily covers the NBA for EssentiallySports. Having graduated in Mass Communication, he has prior experience in writing for ABP News, and has been writing for EssentiallySports since November 2020. This die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan feels that LeBron James is the best thing to have ever happened to the NBA, and will hold a healthy debate with anyone suggesting otherwise.
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