Washington Wizards: 3 must-win games in the month of December

1. Wizards @ Portland Trail Blazers — Dec. 5

The Washington Wizards have a loss they need to avenge coming up against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Just when it looked like the Wizards had things well in hand, they didn’t. The Trail Blazers outscored them 35-22 to get a 108-105 victory, in Washington no less.

The Wizards have had their fair share of games where they failed to close their opponent out. It was C.J. McCollum who stole the show late in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points in the final frame. Washington shot 32.1 percent from the field as a team in the fourth while Portland shot 64.7 percent (11-for-17).

The Wizards seem to have solved the fourth quarter scoring droughts of late, but they’re 2-2 with Wall on the sidelines. After getting a convincing win over Detroit last Friday night, they have to keep up the consistency, especially on defense, or they could find themselves squandering a lead once again.

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The tough part for Washington is playing Portland after playing the Utah Jazz the night before. It’s the second game of a five-game road trip for the Wizards. Washington is 6-5 on the road this season.