The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost their past two games and three of five as they prepare to host the Washington Wizards for two straight games beginning Wednesday.
While being without starters Evan Mobley (left knee surgery) and Darius Garland (jaw fracture) until February has forced Cleveland to shift its lineups, the Cavs remain confident their perseverance can help them stay afloat.
“You know, this doesn’t always exist in the NBA. We’ve got a lot of competitive dudes and guys that truly want to win,” Cleveland’s Sam Merrill said. “I think we have a really good bond as teammates, and that makes you want to win even more because you want to play for each other. It hasn’t always been perfect, but I think if you play the right way and play for each other, things are generally going to go well.”
Cleveland is looking to rebound from Monday’s 124-121 road loss to the Toronto Raptors. The Cavaliers rallied after allowing 41 points in the first quarter but were unable to climb all the way back. A controversial inbounds pass, in Cleveland’s view, allowed Toronto to split a pair of free throws with 1.3 seconds to go to account for the final margin.
Caris LeVert (31 points) and Donovan Mitchell (26) paced five Cavaliers in double figures. Cleveland outscored Toronto in each of the final three quarters.
“If you can find a way to force teams to shoot tough shots and then just share the ball offensively,” Merrill said, “you’re going to do good things.”
Washington hasn’t won consecutive games all season and comes to Cleveland having lost four of its past five.
The Wizards on Sunday nearly overcame allowing four opposing players to notch double-doubles but lost 130-126 to the visiting Atlanta Hawks. Washington topped Brooklyn 110-104 in its previous game.
Kyle Kuzma drilled seven treys against Atlanta, connecting on four during the first quarter alone. The spurt helped the Wizards take an early 17-4 lead while setting Kuzma on his way to scoring a team-high 38 points.
“We were disciplined with the execution and our spacing, which allowed (Kuzma) to play and obviously he stepped up, made big plays for us,” Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “He played the right way. I thought he tried to find the right shots, get his teammates involved.”
Kuzma added five assists, one of three Wizards with at least that many. Seven Wizards scored in double figures, while Deni Avdija (17 points, 12 rebounds) logged his second straight double-double.
“Guys making some good shots and we were out talking, having fun,” said reserve Mike Muscala, who chipped in 10 points in 20 minutes.
Wednesday marks the first of four meetings between the Cavaliers and Wizards, who also are set to play in Cleveland on Friday.
Cleveland took all three games from Washington a season ago, winning by at least 10 points each time, and enters with a four-game series winning streak.
–Field Level Media