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The Cavaliers have a back-to-back on the road against the Wizards, who were off yesterday after losing in Brooklyn Saturday. The Wizards are 24-28 overall and 12-11 at home. They won six in a row before losing their last two.
In the 125-123 loss to Brooklyn the Nets were playing without Durant, Kyrie, and Ben Simmons but still prevailed thanks to a 44-point performance off the bench by 21-year-old guard Cam Thomas, who averages 8.4 points per game. The Wizards couldn’t stop him.
The Wizards recently traded Rui Hachimura to the Lakers for Kendrick Nunn and three 2nd round picks. They wanted to free up more playing time for Deni Avdija, who they consider a building block. He had 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals against the Nets.
The Cavs and Wizards faced off way back in the third game of the season in Cleveland with the Cavs winning in overtime 117-107 without Darius Garland. The Cavs had 16 offensive rebounds and controlled the glass 48-35. Donovan Mitchell had 37 points. Hachimura had 16 for the Wizards.
The Wizards rank 20th in scoring but they have balanced scoring at the top with Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, and Kristaps Porzingis all averaging 22 points per game. Beal is shooting an impressive 51.5% from the field and 35% on 3’s. Kuzma and Porzingis are in the 46-47% and 33-35% range. PG Monte Morris averages 10 points on 48% and 40%. Center Daniel Gafford averages 8 points in 18 minutes. If Beal can't go Corey Kispert probably starts at shooting guard. He is hitting 47% of his 3's at home this year so the Cavs need to keep on him.
The Wizards have a big front line with the 7’3” Porzingis, 6’10” Gaffford, and 6’9” Avdija. Taj Gibson, 6’9”, is still around but at age 37 doesn’t get a lot of minutes.
Kyle Kuzma is out with an ankle sprain, which is a huge break for the Cavs. Kuzma played 37 minutes in the first game and was held to 11 points, but he averages 22 points and 8 boards and last year he burned the Cavs for 23.3 ppg in four games, shooting 57% overall and on 3’s.
Potentially even more impactful, Bradley Beal missed the last game and is questionable for tonight with a foot injury. He played 42 minutes against the Cavs and scored 27 points. If Beal and Kuzma are both out the Wizards are missing 44 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists.
The Wizards are shooting a solid 55% on 2’s but only 32% on 3’s, ranking 20th in 3-point percentage. They are 15th in offensive efficiency, putting them right on the average. But over the last two weeks they rank 4th in offensive efficiency per cleaningtheglass.com. Obviously without two of their top three scorers that will change.
Defensively the Wizards are average, ranking 15th in both scoring and efficiency. They excel defending the 2-point shot, ranking 4th, and they are also 4th in opponents’ effective field goal percentage. They do a great job forcing missed shots and blocking shots, where they rank 6th.
They play conservatively on defense as they are last in the NBA in forcing turnovers. They don’t gamble for steals but focus on using their length to contest shots and force misses. They’re a little above average at defensive rebounding.
With Kuzma out they will start two centers; Porzingis and Gafford, so they have a couple of shot blockers.
cleaningtheglass.com ranks them 14th in offense and 16th in defense. They lead the NBA in shooting percentage at the rim at 72% but are only 21st in shots attempted at the rim - seems like they should go inside more. They prefer the mid-range shot, ranking 3rd in frequency but just 16th in accuracy.
Personnel has changed since these teams last played. Garland and Rubio have been added while Hachimura and Kuzma are gone. The Cavs' roster has improved since the first meeting while the Wizards have not, and if Beal can’t go even more so.
However, the Wizards were off yesterday while the Cavs had to fly in from Indianapolis. This should be a tough one since it’s difficult to win the second game of a back-to-back on the road against a rested team at home.
Also, the Wizards have to be pissed off after blowing a 23-point lead two nights ago to a Nets team without KD, Kyrie, and Simmons. I expect they will come out with a lot of fire against a tired Cavs’ team. They scored 123 in Brooklyn without Beal and Hachimura and with Kuzma leaving after scoring just 2 points. They still have some guys who can score. Porzingis had 38 against the Nets so Jarrett Allen will have his hands full. That should be a great matchup.
At least Sunday’s game in Indy was at 5 p.m. so the Cavs did’t get in to DC as late as usual.
In the 125-123 loss to Brooklyn the Nets were playing without Durant, Kyrie, and Ben Simmons but still prevailed thanks to a 44-point performance off the bench by 21-year-old guard Cam Thomas, who averages 8.4 points per game. The Wizards couldn’t stop him.
The Wizards recently traded Rui Hachimura to the Lakers for Kendrick Nunn and three 2nd round picks. They wanted to free up more playing time for Deni Avdija, who they consider a building block. He had 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals against the Nets.
The Cavs and Wizards faced off way back in the third game of the season in Cleveland with the Cavs winning in overtime 117-107 without Darius Garland. The Cavs had 16 offensive rebounds and controlled the glass 48-35. Donovan Mitchell had 37 points. Hachimura had 16 for the Wizards.
The Wizards rank 20th in scoring but they have balanced scoring at the top with Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, and Kristaps Porzingis all averaging 22 points per game. Beal is shooting an impressive 51.5% from the field and 35% on 3’s. Kuzma and Porzingis are in the 46-47% and 33-35% range. PG Monte Morris averages 10 points on 48% and 40%. Center Daniel Gafford averages 8 points in 18 minutes. If Beal can't go Corey Kispert probably starts at shooting guard. He is hitting 47% of his 3's at home this year so the Cavs need to keep on him.
The Wizards have a big front line with the 7’3” Porzingis, 6’10” Gaffford, and 6’9” Avdija. Taj Gibson, 6’9”, is still around but at age 37 doesn’t get a lot of minutes.
Kyle Kuzma is out with an ankle sprain, which is a huge break for the Cavs. Kuzma played 37 minutes in the first game and was held to 11 points, but he averages 22 points and 8 boards and last year he burned the Cavs for 23.3 ppg in four games, shooting 57% overall and on 3’s.
Potentially even more impactful, Bradley Beal missed the last game and is questionable for tonight with a foot injury. He played 42 minutes against the Cavs and scored 27 points. If Beal and Kuzma are both out the Wizards are missing 44 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists.
The Wizards are shooting a solid 55% on 2’s but only 32% on 3’s, ranking 20th in 3-point percentage. They are 15th in offensive efficiency, putting them right on the average. But over the last two weeks they rank 4th in offensive efficiency per cleaningtheglass.com. Obviously without two of their top three scorers that will change.
Defensively the Wizards are average, ranking 15th in both scoring and efficiency. They excel defending the 2-point shot, ranking 4th, and they are also 4th in opponents’ effective field goal percentage. They do a great job forcing missed shots and blocking shots, where they rank 6th.
They play conservatively on defense as they are last in the NBA in forcing turnovers. They don’t gamble for steals but focus on using their length to contest shots and force misses. They’re a little above average at defensive rebounding.
With Kuzma out they will start two centers; Porzingis and Gafford, so they have a couple of shot blockers.
cleaningtheglass.com ranks them 14th in offense and 16th in defense. They lead the NBA in shooting percentage at the rim at 72% but are only 21st in shots attempted at the rim - seems like they should go inside more. They prefer the mid-range shot, ranking 3rd in frequency but just 16th in accuracy.
Personnel has changed since these teams last played. Garland and Rubio have been added while Hachimura and Kuzma are gone. The Cavs' roster has improved since the first meeting while the Wizards have not, and if Beal can’t go even more so.
However, the Wizards were off yesterday while the Cavs had to fly in from Indianapolis. This should be a tough one since it’s difficult to win the second game of a back-to-back on the road against a rested team at home.
Also, the Wizards have to be pissed off after blowing a 23-point lead two nights ago to a Nets team without KD, Kyrie, and Simmons. I expect they will come out with a lot of fire against a tired Cavs’ team. They scored 123 in Brooklyn without Beal and Hachimura and with Kuzma leaving after scoring just 2 points. They still have some guys who can score. Porzingis had 38 against the Nets so Jarrett Allen will have his hands full. That should be a great matchup.
At least Sunday’s game in Indy was at 5 p.m. so the Cavs did’t get in to DC as late as usual.
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