The Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers will rekindle a rivalry tonight as LeBron James returns to D.C. as a Cavalier for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
Cleveland has gotten off to a slow start, as they are 5-5 through 10 games while Washington is 7-3 which is their best 10-game start to a season since the 1974-75 season.
Both teams are coming off close losses to two Western Conference teams in the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks. LeBron James struggled against the defending champion Spurs, scoring only 15 points on 35 percent shooting and a late turnover that sealed their fate.
Even though the Wizards lost to the Mavericks in a close game, it was exciting to see budding All-Star Bradley Beal make his season debut where he led the team in scoring with 21 points. Beal said he felt good but felt winded towards the end of the game which is expected when you haven’t played in five weeks.
Washington will have to face another electric offensive team, as the Cavaliers are the fifth best scoring team in the NBA, averaging 105 points per game. However, the Cavs are one of the worst defensive teams in the league as they give up on average 103 points to their opponents. The Wizards are pretty balanced on both sides of the court and with Beal back, their offense will be that much better. If Washington stays focused and feeds off their home crowd, they should be able to defeat this star-studded Cavalier team.
This game is almost a must-win for the Wizards just from the standpoint they need to prove they can beat a superior opponent. Even though Cleveland is at .500, this would still be a signature win compared to the seven other wins.
Cleveland has won four straight games at the Verizon Center, and that was without two All-Stars in LeBron James and Kevin Love. Kyrie Irving has averaged 30.0 points versus the Wizards in their last three meetings, while Kevin Love averaged 25.0 points and 14.0 rebounds in his last five games against the Wizards when he played with the Timberwolves. It will be a hard-fought game between two of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.
John Wall struggled shooting the ball Wednesday night against Dallas, as he went 5-of-17 from the field with 11 points and 11 assists. Expect Wall to be more efficient tonight and in his last eight games versus the Cavs, the All-Star point guard has averaged 21.0 points and 10.3 assists.
Defense is the key for tonight’s game. If Washington plays their high level of defense and controls the Cleveland offense, the Wizards have a good chance to come away victorious. The Cavaliers are a poor defensive team, and Washington has a pretty balanced offense inside the paint and out on the perimeter. This is a prime opportunity for the Wizards to get a leg up on Cleveland, and they need to take care of business.