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Losers of 3 of their last 4 games, the Cavs move on to the nation’s capital to engage the pathetic Washington Wizards, who are 9-47 overall and have lost ten in a row and 22 of their last 25. The last time the Wizards beat a team with a winning record was on Dec. 15, about 11 weeks ago.
The Cavs blew out the Wizards by 39 and 24 points in their first two meetings in early January. But on Feb. 7 in Cleveland the Wizards put up a scrap, losing 114-106 with Donovan Mitchell going off for 40 points. After that game I wrote that it looked like the Wizards did not want to be blown out again as they played with a lot of intensity. They were ahead by 2 points in the 4th quarter before Mitchell closed it out.
Center Daniel Gafford was the Wizards’ best player in that one with 14 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks and a +11. He played like his hair was on fire and gave Jarrett Allen fits. Fortunately for the Cavs, Gafford was traded to Dallas before their next game.
Starting small forward Deni Avdija has a heel injury and is questionable. He’s averaging 13.6 points on 51.3% from the field and 6.5 rebounds. Without both Gafford and Deni the Wizards lost by 41 points to OKC on Friday. They laid down like dogs, giving up 80 points in the first half.
However, Marvin Bagley III, their 6’10” power forward, had 10 offensive rebounds in 21 minutes Friday so at least one Wizard was playing hard. The Cavs need to put a body on him. Hopefully JBB puts all 10 offensive boards on the same tape back-to-back and shows it before the game. Bagley had 15 points and 14 boards in those 21 minutes.
Since trading Gafford the Wizards are 0-6, however, they can be scrappy. The next game after the trade they lost in Boston by 4 points followed by a loss to Philly by 6. Four days later they lost at New Orleans by 7. It would be a mistake to take them lightly, even without Gafford. They've taken three good teams down to the wire.
Eleven days ago Avdija had 43 points and 15 rebounds in the Wizards’ 133-126 loss to the Pelicans, who were 32-22 at the time. So if Deni can play tonight the Cavs need to take this team seriously.
Donovan Mitchell is listed as probable so if he plays it will be a huge positive for the Cavs, who just lost two straight games to teams with worse records without him.
The Cavs blew out the Wizards by 39 and 24 points in their first two meetings in early January. But on Feb. 7 in Cleveland the Wizards put up a scrap, losing 114-106 with Donovan Mitchell going off for 40 points. After that game I wrote that it looked like the Wizards did not want to be blown out again as they played with a lot of intensity. They were ahead by 2 points in the 4th quarter before Mitchell closed it out.
Center Daniel Gafford was the Wizards’ best player in that one with 14 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks and a +11. He played like his hair was on fire and gave Jarrett Allen fits. Fortunately for the Cavs, Gafford was traded to Dallas before their next game.
Starting small forward Deni Avdija has a heel injury and is questionable. He’s averaging 13.6 points on 51.3% from the field and 6.5 rebounds. Without both Gafford and Deni the Wizards lost by 41 points to OKC on Friday. They laid down like dogs, giving up 80 points in the first half.
However, Marvin Bagley III, their 6’10” power forward, had 10 offensive rebounds in 21 minutes Friday so at least one Wizard was playing hard. The Cavs need to put a body on him. Hopefully JBB puts all 10 offensive boards on the same tape back-to-back and shows it before the game. Bagley had 15 points and 14 boards in those 21 minutes.
Since trading Gafford the Wizards are 0-6, however, they can be scrappy. The next game after the trade they lost in Boston by 4 points followed by a loss to Philly by 6. Four days later they lost at New Orleans by 7. It would be a mistake to take them lightly, even without Gafford. They've taken three good teams down to the wire.
Eleven days ago Avdija had 43 points and 15 rebounds in the Wizards’ 133-126 loss to the Pelicans, who were 32-22 at the time. So if Deni can play tonight the Cavs need to take this team seriously.
Donovan Mitchell is listed as probable so if he plays it will be a huge positive for the Cavs, who just lost two straight games to teams with worse records without him.
