Increased minutes are result of many injuries
With six rookies on the roster for a five-game road trip — the longest of the year — there’s plenty of unknowns for a Wizards team that has won only once this season outside of Washington.
Working on little information is par for the course for forward Maurice Evans, who has gone from a secondary piece in a midseason trade to the most veteran player available for the Wizards (17-51) against Portland on Tuesday night.
When he arrived last month from Atlanta in a deal that was primarily a swap of guards Mike Bibby and Kirk Hinrich, Evans found himself behind Rashard Lewis, Josh Howard and Al Thornton on the Wizards’ depth chart. But with Lewis and Howard injured and Thornton gone via buyout, Evans has been called upon to provide both stability and 3-point shooting off the bench.
| Up Next |
| Wizards at Trail Blazers |
| Where » Rose Garden, Portland, Ore. |
| When » Tuesday, 10 p.m. |
| TV/Radio » Comcast SportsNet/106.7 FM |
“Early on I didn’t really know what to expect, didn’t know no plays, didn’t know any offense,” said Evans, who has scored 15 points in consecutive games, including seven in the fourth quarter of Washington’s 98-92 win over New Jersey on Sunday. “We had a chance to get a few more practices, and as a result, I’m able to get a better rhythm. I’ve been getting extensive minutes, and I just want to be productive.”
Evans, who is in his eighth NBA season despite being undrafted out of Texas in 2001, also had 15 points, including a trio of fourth-quarter 3-pointers, in the Wizards’ March 5 win over Minnesota — a team he played for and went to the playoffs with under Wizards coach Flip Saunders.
“Mo Evans has given us some great minutes these last few games,” said Saunders, who pronounced a return this season for Lewis (right knee tendinitis) as doubtful Sunday.
After having trouble in multiple attempts to return to action from his left ACL tear last year, Howard likely will only see minutes on a limited basis, and both Andray Blatche (strained right shoulder) and Nick Young (sore left knee) remain day-to-day.
The Wizards beat Portland at home in December, but the Blazers (40-30) are 14-6 since Feb. 5.
“A West Coast trip is going to be tough, especially at this stage of the game,” Evans said.
“It’s late in the year, and a lot of these teams are in the playoffs, and we just got to really strap up and give it our best effort and try and compete each and every night and try to give ourselves a chance to win.”
