Deni Avdija returned to town to take on his former team, but the future of the Washington Wizards sent him home without a win in his old arena.

The Wizards (11-34) will not progress as a group unless he embraces the alpha role. Alex Sarr is the franchise pillar fans have been begging for during these seemingly endless dark ages. The young big man still has growing pains to endure, as was the case tonight, but he can boost the squad forward, as was the case tonight.

Alex Sarr had 29 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots, and the Washington Wizards snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 115-111 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The road trip takes a sour turn for Portland.

Both the Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards may be without multiple key players in Tuesday night's matchup.

Wall has been welcomed back with open arms, as teams often do with their franchise's most iconic talents, no matter the previous ending.

Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly, and Bub Carrington have all been named Rising Stars since becoming Wizards.

The Washington Wizards are sending a healthy chunk of their young core to the distinguished All-Star Weekend event.

The Portland Trail Blazers visit the Washington Wizards Tuesday for a 7 p.m. ET tip from Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

Team sources and league sources said they expect the Wizards to remain active until the NBA trade deadline arrives on Feb. 5.

Outlining how the Washington Wizards can still leap into playoff contention even if they don't land a top pick in the highly touted 2026 class.