Deadspin | Wizards carry 9-game skid into matchup vs. Trail Blazers

Deadspin | Wizards carry 9-game skid into matchup vs. Trail Blazers

Jan 24, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) handles the ball against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the first quarter at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards find themselves in the midst of another extended losing streak, but team officials are increasingly optimistic about the future.

The club brass will be looking for continued growth when the Wizards face the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

Portland has dropped two in a row following a four-game winning streak. The Trail Blazers scored a season-low 37 points in the first half of a 102-94 road loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday.

The rebuilding Wizards turned in another encouraging outing before losing their ninth straight game on Saturday, falling 119-115 to the host Charlotte Hornets.

Washington’s starting lineup of Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington and Will Riley was the NBA’s youngest in average age (20.64 years) since the league began tracking that data in 1970-71.

George had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists before exiting the game in the fourth quarter with a left ankle injury. He is expected to play on Tuesday.

Johnson recorded career highs of 26 points and six assists in the Saturday loss for the Wizards, who dropped 14 in a row earlier this season. The 19-year-old rookie also made a career-high six 3-pointers.

“This guy has been in our gym, working on his craft,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “We know he can shoot and make plays for himself, but I’ve been really impressed with how he is involving his teammates.”

Keefe is 36-129 as an interim and permanent head coach with the Wizards, but Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger praised him for developing a young roster.

“I think Brian has done a remarkable job,” Winger said. “He’s built a culture of competitiveness, accountability, togetherness and joy. I’m very, very pleased with the job that Brian has done.”

Washington is set to begin a five-game homestand against a Portland team that trailed 32-11 at the end of the first quarter against Boston on Monday.

Jerami Grant finished with 19 points to lead the Trail Blazers, while Toumani Camara added 18.

Leading scorer Deni Avdija (26 points per game) missed his second straight game with a lower back strain, but he is expected to be available on Tuesday.

Rookie guard Caleb Love had 11 points in the loss to Boston and is averaging 15.4 points in 13 games this month.

“He’s really stepped up,” Portland interim coach Tiago Splitter said. “But what I’m most impressed with is the effort he has put in defensively. He doesn’t have the biggest wingspan or jump the highest, but he always puts in the effort.”

Love has scored in double figures in 17 of his past 18 games.

“I’m just trying to make the most of my opportunity,” said Love, who went undrafted out of Arizona last summer. “Until I get where I want to get — having my contract converted — I don’t want to get ahead of myself. But if I do get converted, it will definitely be a milestone that I’m going to be proud of, for sure.”

Portland swept the two-game season series against Washington last season and has won 10 of the past 13 meetings between the teams.

–Field Level Media

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Deadspin | Daria Snigur wins marathon 3rd-set tiebreaker in clay debut at Madrid  Jan 13, 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Daria Snigur of Ukraine hits a forehand during her match against  Danielle Collins of United States of America in the first round of the men’s singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images   In the first tour-level clay-court match of her career, Ukraine’s Daria Snigur came away with a thrilling 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (13) victory over Australia’s Daria Kasatkina in first-round action of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday.  Snigur, ranked 98th in the world, saved four match points before winning the marathon finish, which goes down as the longest first-to-seven, tour-level third-set tiebreaker in eight years and the sixth-longest in a WTA match this century.  Kasatkina, a 2022 French Open semifinalist, saved 17 of 24 break-point chances. Each competitor won 50% of both their service and return points. Snigur will next face No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland.  Seven Americans were in action during an extensive 22-match day of action in the Spanish capital. All 32 seeded competitors earned first-round byes in the 96-person event.  Alycia Parks won her opening-round match over Italy’s Elisabetta Coccioretto 6-3, 6-2, setting up a second-round clash with fellow American and No. 31 seed Ann Li.  Parks finished off her opening match in just 74 minutes. She hit just 52% of her first serves but won 71.4% of her service points, saving all three break points she faced while converting 3 of 7 on Coccioretto’s serve.  Two other Americans fell, with Taylor Townsend losing 6-4, 6-2 to Great Britain’s Katie Boulter while Elvina Kalieva took a 6-3, 6-4 defeat against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.   Boulter will next face fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula. No. 3 seed Coco Gauff will open against France’s Leolia Jeanjean, who blew past Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva for a 6-4, 6-1 victory.  There were also two battles between U.S. players on Thursday. Caty McNally bested Katie Volynets 6-1, 6-2 in 94 minutes and will face No. 10 Victoria Mboko of Canada in the second round.  Sofia Kenin, who won the 2020 Australian Open, defeated Ashlyn Krueger 7-6 (2), 6-4 to book a matchup against No. 32 Qinwen Zheng of China.  Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania beat Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 and will face No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the Round of 64.  That was one of seven matches contested on the day which went to a third set. However, one of the more thrilling matches was Argentina’s Solana Sierra holding off Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (10), 7-6 (8) in a match which lasted nearly 2 1/2 hours despite only going two sets.  In other two-set matches, Italy’s Tyra Caterina Grant defeated France’s Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 6-2, Switzerland’s Simona Waltert beat Oleksandra Oliynikova of Ukraine 7-5, 6-0, Indonesia’s Janice Tjen swept Russia’s Alina Charaeva 6-4, 6-2, Colombia’s Emiliana Arango beat Australia’s Talia Gibson 6-3, 6-2, Alexandra Eala of the Philippines defeated Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-3, Hungary’s Dalma Galfi bested Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6 (7), 6-4, Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez beat Spaniard Carlota Martinez Cirez 7-5, 6-2 and China’s Shuia Zhang overcame Germany’s Eva Lys for a 6-4, 6-3 victory.  In three-set territory, Czech Karolina Pliskova bested Austria’s Sinja Kraus 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan outlasted Tereza Valentova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina beat Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine beat Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 and Hungary’s Panna Udvardy took care of Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 triumph.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Daria #Snigur #wins #marathon #3rdset #tiebreaker #clay #debut #MadridJan 13, 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Daria Snigur of Ukraine hits a forehand during her match against Danielle Collins of United States of America in the first round of the men’s singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images

In the first tour-level clay-court match of her career, Ukraine’s Daria Snigur came away with a thrilling 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (13) victory over Australia’s Daria Kasatkina in first-round action of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday.

Snigur, ranked 98th in the world, saved four match points before winning the marathon finish, which goes down as the longest first-to-seven, tour-level third-set tiebreaker in eight years and the sixth-longest in a WTA match this century.

Kasatkina, a 2022 French Open semifinalist, saved 17 of 24 break-point chances. Each competitor won 50% of both their service and return points. Snigur will next face No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland.

Seven Americans were in action during an extensive 22-match day of action in the Spanish capital. All 32 seeded competitors earned first-round byes in the 96-person event.

Alycia Parks won her opening-round match over Italy’s Elisabetta Coccioretto 6-3, 6-2, setting up a second-round clash with fellow American and No. 31 seed Ann Li.

Parks finished off her opening match in just 74 minutes. She hit just 52% of her first serves but won 71.4% of her service points, saving all three break points she faced while converting 3 of 7 on Coccioretto’s serve.


Two other Americans fell, with Taylor Townsend losing 6-4, 6-2 to Great Britain’s Katie Boulter while Elvina Kalieva took a 6-3, 6-4 defeat against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.

Boulter will next face fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula. No. 3 seed Coco Gauff will open against France’s Leolia Jeanjean, who blew past Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva for a 6-4, 6-1 victory.

There were also two battles between U.S. players on Thursday. Caty McNally bested Katie Volynets 6-1, 6-2 in 94 minutes and will face No. 10 Victoria Mboko of Canada in the second round. Sofia Kenin, who won the 2020 Australian Open, defeated Ashlyn Krueger 7-6 (2), 6-4 to book a matchup against No. 32 Qinwen Zheng of China.

Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania beat Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 and will face No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the Round of 64.

That was one of seven matches contested on the day which went to a third set. However, one of the more thrilling matches was Argentina’s Solana Sierra holding off Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (10), 7-6 (8) in a match which lasted nearly 2 1/2 hours despite only going two sets.

In other two-set matches, Italy’s Tyra Caterina Grant defeated France’s Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 6-2, Switzerland’s Simona Waltert beat Oleksandra Oliynikova of Ukraine 7-5, 6-0, Indonesia’s Janice Tjen swept Russia’s Alina Charaeva 6-4, 6-2, Colombia’s Emiliana Arango beat Australia’s Talia Gibson 6-3, 6-2, Alexandra Eala of the Philippines defeated Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-3, Hungary’s Dalma Galfi bested Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6 (7), 6-4, Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez beat Spaniard Carlota Martinez Cirez 7-5, 6-2 and China’s Shuia Zhang overcame Germany’s Eva Lys for a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

In three-set territory, Czech Karolina Pliskova bested Austria’s Sinja Kraus 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan outlasted Tereza Valentova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina beat Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine beat Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 and Hungary’s Panna Udvardy took care of Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 triumph.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Daria #Snigur #wins #marathon #3rdset #tiebreaker #clay #debut #Madrid">Deadspin | Daria Snigur wins marathon 3rd-set tiebreaker in clay debut at Madrid  Jan 13, 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Daria Snigur of Ukraine hits a forehand during her match against  Danielle Collins of United States of America in the first round of the men’s singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images   In the first tour-level clay-court match of her career, Ukraine’s Daria Snigur came away with a thrilling 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (13) victory over Australia’s Daria Kasatkina in first-round action of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday.  Snigur, ranked 98th in the world, saved four match points before winning the marathon finish, which goes down as the longest first-to-seven, tour-level third-set tiebreaker in eight years and the sixth-longest in a WTA match this century.  Kasatkina, a 2022 French Open semifinalist, saved 17 of 24 break-point chances. Each competitor won 50% of both their service and return points. Snigur will next face No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland.  Seven Americans were in action during an extensive 22-match day of action in the Spanish capital. All 32 seeded competitors earned first-round byes in the 96-person event.  Alycia Parks won her opening-round match over Italy’s Elisabetta Coccioretto 6-3, 6-2, setting up a second-round clash with fellow American and No. 31 seed Ann Li.  Parks finished off her opening match in just 74 minutes. She hit just 52% of her first serves but won 71.4% of her service points, saving all three break points she faced while converting 3 of 7 on Coccioretto’s serve.  Two other Americans fell, with Taylor Townsend losing 6-4, 6-2 to Great Britain’s Katie Boulter while Elvina Kalieva took a 6-3, 6-4 defeat against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.   Boulter will next face fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula. No. 3 seed Coco Gauff will open against France’s Leolia Jeanjean, who blew past Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva for a 6-4, 6-1 victory.  There were also two battles between U.S. players on Thursday. Caty McNally bested Katie Volynets 6-1, 6-2 in 94 minutes and will face No. 10 Victoria Mboko of Canada in the second round.  Sofia Kenin, who won the 2020 Australian Open, defeated Ashlyn Krueger 7-6 (2), 6-4 to book a matchup against No. 32 Qinwen Zheng of China.  Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania beat Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 and will face No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the Round of 64.  That was one of seven matches contested on the day which went to a third set. However, one of the more thrilling matches was Argentina’s Solana Sierra holding off Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (10), 7-6 (8) in a match which lasted nearly 2 1/2 hours despite only going two sets.  In other two-set matches, Italy’s Tyra Caterina Grant defeated France’s Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 6-2, Switzerland’s Simona Waltert beat Oleksandra Oliynikova of Ukraine 7-5, 6-0, Indonesia’s Janice Tjen swept Russia’s Alina Charaeva 6-4, 6-2, Colombia’s Emiliana Arango beat Australia’s Talia Gibson 6-3, 6-2, Alexandra Eala of the Philippines defeated Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-3, Hungary’s Dalma Galfi bested Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6 (7), 6-4, Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez beat Spaniard Carlota Martinez Cirez 7-5, 6-2 and China’s Shuia Zhang overcame Germany’s Eva Lys for a 6-4, 6-3 victory.  In three-set territory, Czech Karolina Pliskova bested Austria’s Sinja Kraus 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan outlasted Tereza Valentova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina beat Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine beat Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 and Hungary’s Panna Udvardy took care of Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 triumph.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Daria #Snigur #wins #marathon #3rdset #tiebreaker #clay #debut #Madrid

Deadspin | Nolan Schanuel, Jose Soriano help Angels defeat Blue Jays  Apr 22, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout (27) runs after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images   Nolan Schanuel homered and also had a three-run, go-ahead double and Jose Soriano continued his historic start to the season with five more shutout innings as the Los Angeles Angels snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.     Soriano extended his scoreless inning streak to 24 2/3 innings while lowering his ERA to 0.24, the lowest ERA in a pitcher’s first six starts to a season since earned runs became official in both leagues (1913) with a minimum of 30 innings pitched. Soriano, who allowed seven hits and struck out four, has allowed just one run – a home run by Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin – in 37 2/3 innings. He also became the first pitcher since at least 1900 to allow one total run (or fewer) in his first six starts to a season.    Mike Trout homered, walked twice and scored twice and Logan O’Hoppe and Bryce Teodosio each had two hits for Los Angeles. Brent Suter (1-1) picked up the win, striking out two during one inning of hitless relief.    Ernie Clement went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Nathan Lukes and Andres Gimenez each had a double and two hits for Toronto, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Tommy Nance (0-2) suffered the loss allowing two runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.    Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Jo Adell’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly, driving in O’Hoppe who had singled.     Schanuel made it 2-0 in the fourth when he led off the fourth with his third home run and first since March 28, a 371-foot line drive just over the fence in right-center.    Trout extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth when he drilled a 428-foot homer to the back of the bullpen in left, his eighth of the season. It was the 796th extra-base hit of Trout’s career, tying the team record set by the late Garret Anderson.    Toronto parlayed a walk and three hits, including an RBI double by Lukes and an RBI single by Clement, into three runs in the seventh to tie it, 3-3.    The Angels answered with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to regain the lead, 7-3. Trout walked, stole second and went to third on a single by Adell. One out later, Yoan Moncada walked to load the bases. Schanuel then followed with an opposite-field double into the left field corner to clear the bases and give Los Angeles a 6-3 lead. Vaughn Grissom drove in Schanuel with a bloop single to right.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Nolan #Schanuel #Jose #Soriano #Angels #defeat #Blue #JaysApr 22, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout (27) runs after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images

Nolan Schanuel homered and also had a three-run, go-ahead double and Jose Soriano continued his historic start to the season with five more shutout innings as the Los Angeles Angels snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.

Soriano extended his scoreless inning streak to 24 2/3 innings while lowering his ERA to 0.24, the lowest ERA in a pitcher’s first six starts to a season since earned runs became official in both leagues (1913) with a minimum of 30 innings pitched. Soriano, who allowed seven hits and struck out four, has allowed just one run – a home run by Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin – in 37 2/3 innings. He also became the first pitcher since at least 1900 to allow one total run (or fewer) in his first six starts to a season.

Mike Trout homered, walked twice and scored twice and Logan O’Hoppe and Bryce Teodosio each had two hits for Los Angeles. Brent Suter (1-1) picked up the win, striking out two during one inning of hitless relief.

Ernie Clement went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Nathan Lukes and Andres Gimenez each had a double and two hits for Toronto, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Tommy Nance (0-2) suffered the loss allowing two runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.


Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Jo Adell’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly, driving in O’Hoppe who had singled.

Schanuel made it 2-0 in the fourth when he led off the fourth with his third home run and first since March 28, a 371-foot line drive just over the fence in right-center.

Trout extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth when he drilled a 428-foot homer to the back of the bullpen in left, his eighth of the season. It was the 796th extra-base hit of Trout’s career, tying the team record set by the late Garret Anderson.

Toronto parlayed a walk and three hits, including an RBI double by Lukes and an RBI single by Clement, into three runs in the seventh to tie it, 3-3.

The Angels answered with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to regain the lead, 7-3. Trout walked, stole second and went to third on a single by Adell. One out later, Yoan Moncada walked to load the bases. Schanuel then followed with an opposite-field double into the left field corner to clear the bases and give Los Angeles a 6-3 lead. Vaughn Grissom drove in Schanuel with a bloop single to right.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Nolan #Schanuel #Jose #Soriano #Angels #defeat #Blue #Jays">Deadspin | Nolan Schanuel, Jose Soriano help Angels defeat Blue Jays  Apr 22, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout (27) runs after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images   Nolan Schanuel homered and also had a three-run, go-ahead double and Jose Soriano continued his historic start to the season with five more shutout innings as the Los Angeles Angels snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.     Soriano extended his scoreless inning streak to 24 2/3 innings while lowering his ERA to 0.24, the lowest ERA in a pitcher’s first six starts to a season since earned runs became official in both leagues (1913) with a minimum of 30 innings pitched. Soriano, who allowed seven hits and struck out four, has allowed just one run – a home run by Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin – in 37 2/3 innings. He also became the first pitcher since at least 1900 to allow one total run (or fewer) in his first six starts to a season.    Mike Trout homered, walked twice and scored twice and Logan O’Hoppe and Bryce Teodosio each had two hits for Los Angeles. Brent Suter (1-1) picked up the win, striking out two during one inning of hitless relief.    Ernie Clement went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Nathan Lukes and Andres Gimenez each had a double and two hits for Toronto, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Tommy Nance (0-2) suffered the loss allowing two runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.    Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Jo Adell’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly, driving in O’Hoppe who had singled.     Schanuel made it 2-0 in the fourth when he led off the fourth with his third home run and first since March 28, a 371-foot line drive just over the fence in right-center.    Trout extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth when he drilled a 428-foot homer to the back of the bullpen in left, his eighth of the season. It was the 796th extra-base hit of Trout’s career, tying the team record set by the late Garret Anderson.    Toronto parlayed a walk and three hits, including an RBI double by Lukes and an RBI single by Clement, into three runs in the seventh to tie it, 3-3.    The Angels answered with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to regain the lead, 7-3. Trout walked, stole second and went to third on a single by Adell. One out later, Yoan Moncada walked to load the bases. Schanuel then followed with an opposite-field double into the left field corner to clear the bases and give Los Angeles a 6-3 lead. Vaughn Grissom drove in Schanuel with a bloop single to right.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Nolan #Schanuel #Jose #Soriano #Angels #defeat #Blue #Jays

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