The Cavs came out sleepwalking and the Wizards saw their chance to steal a win (would have been their 4th in a row). Fortunately the Cavs got serious in the 2nd half and outscored them 70-57.
Jordan Poole can get going and score 40 on any given night and without Hunter, Wade, and Okoro he got 45. He was abusing Strus, CPJ, Jerome - whoever was in front of him. And Kyshawn George, who came in shooting 30% from deep, hit 4-for-6.
The Cavs' starters were all +7 to +13. The Wizards went with a 7-man rotation and I think they ran out of gas late. The Cavs were up 5 with 6:30 to go but over the next 4.5 minutes they pushed the lead to 16 and effectively ended the game. Garland had 8 points and one assist.
Strus had a solid line of 17/5/3 but he's horrible defensively; can't stay in front of anybody. The Wizards were quicker and more athetic than the Cavs and blew by them the whole game. Allen or Mobley were constantly forced to contest the layup leaving easy putbacks. The Wizards had 16 offensive rebounds and forced 14 Cavalier turnovers.
Tyson had 4 offensive rebounds to lead the Cavaliers. He was productive off the bench with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in 20 minutes. He tends to get too grabby and fouls away from the ball, but I assume he'll learn how much physicality he can get away with. He can't shoot but he rebounds incredibly well for a 6'6" wing.
Assistant coach Mike Gerrity said at halftime that the Cavs were not mentally ready to play and were sloppy in the first quarter, but promised they would "come out much more locked in" in the second half. They were.
The Cavs Core Four carried them tonight with some help from Strus, Jerome, and Tyson. Tristan Thompson was -11 in 9 minutes, highlighting the need to get a better backup big man.
Not a very satisfying win but being shorthanded they gutted it out and the Core Four put it away down the stretch. Now they have two days to get ready for the Timberwolves at home and hopefully they'll have Hunter and Merrill for that one.
I think the Wizards will be similar to Detroit next year and will make a big jump in the win column. They have some promising young players, including Sarr who was out tonight. Also George, Coulibaly, and Carrington and they will get another high lottery pick this year. Since being inserted into the starting lineup George has 17 points in each of his last two games.
