After two wins to open the 2018–19 season, the Blazers met Washington at the Moda Center on October 22, 2018. This one was close, chaotic and ultimately painful: the Wizards escaped with a 125–124 overtime victory. Watch the original game highlights below, then revisit how Portland’s first loss unfolded.
Historical update: The Wizards hand Portland its first loss in overtime
Updated November 2026: Portland entered the night 2–0 after beating LeBron James’ Lakers and LaMarcus Aldridge’s Spurs. Against Washington, the Blazers led 32–28 after one quarter, the teams were tied at halftime, and neither side could pull away for long. There were 29 lead changes and 23 ties. The fourth quarter finished 111–111, sending everyone to overtime. Apparently 48 minutes of stress just wasn’t enough.
Damian Lillard led Portland with 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, although he shot 7-for-21. Jusuf Nurkić had an excellent night inside, piling up 22 points and 18 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. Al-Farouq Aminu contributed 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Nik Stauskas added 15 off the bench. Portland won the rebounding battle 70–54 but gave the ball away 20 times.
And then there was CJ McCollum, who had one of those nights he’d probably prefer to forget: 13 points on 5-for-25 shooting, including 1-for-9 from three. The Blazers shot just 28.2% from beyond the arc as a team. It’s hard to win a one-point game when that many shots refuse to cooperate.
Washington’s biggest surprise was Markieff Morris, who scored 28 points and hit six three-pointers. Bradley Beal added 25 points, while John Wall finished with 16 points and nine assists. Morris was especially damaging late, scoring 17 points across the fourth quarter and overtime.
Portland still had a chance to steal it. On the game’s final play, Otto Porter Jr. blocked Lillard’s driving layup attempt at the buzzer, sealing Washington’s first win of the season. A painful finish, especially after a game in which Nurkić and Aminu did so much work on the glass.
In the bigger picture, this was only the Blazers’ first defeat in a 53–29 season that eventually carried them to the Western Conference Finals. A frustrating October loss didn’t tell the whole story. For the preceding game, see our Blazers–Spurs highlights and day-after Spurs recap. For the numbers from this game, check the official NBA box score.