The Washington Wizards lost to the Portland Trail Blazers last night for two main reasons: poor rebounding and too many turnovers.
Washington outshot Portland by a significant margin (eFG% 59.0% to 50.5%), which is usually the key ingredient in an NBA victory. But the Trail Blazers grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, and the Wizards committed 19 turnovers, which led to Portland hoisting 18 shots more than Washington.
The Trail Blazers held a 21-6 advantage in second chance points, and a 27-18 edge in points off turnovers. Despite playing without a center most of the game (Donovan Clingan started and played just 18 minutes), Portland dominated inside — 62-42 on points in the paint — and in transition (32-16 in fastbreak points).