Other than MAC football during the week, there’s not a lot to look forward to Monday-Friday in the sporting world. With that being said, Cleveland Cavaliers fans were treated to an incredible game last night versus the Wizards. Before the game the Wizards entered the arena with a 7-3 record, while the Cavs were a half-game behind them with a record of 7-4. Even though the outcome of the game was not the one Cavs fans hoped for, it was an incredible game.
In the first quarter the teams were pretty much dead even as the Wizards took a two-point lead into the second quarter. However, the Cavs closed out the first half strong, with good performances from sensational rookie Evan Mobley, Ricky Rubio, and Darius Garland. DG hit a three-pointer with just under 40 seconds left in the half, and the final scoring of the half was two free throws from Rubio to give the Cavs a 49-44 lead heading into half-time.
The Wizards came out strong to start the second half, getting early buckets from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Daniel Gafford. With just over seven minutes to go in the third quarter, Mobley hit a jumper to give the Cavs their largest lead of the night, 59-49. Both teams worked extremely hard in the defensive half of the court, and the third quarter ended with the Cavs on top, 74-68.
The final quarter was not a good one for the Cavaliers. After leading by six to start the fourth quarter, there was a flurry of baskets made by Jarrett Allen, Corey Kispert, and Darius Garland, and the Cavs’ lead bloomed to ten again. The Wizards were not to be denied, however, as they mounted a fourth-quarter comeback. Kyle Kuzma hit a three-pointer in the corner to give the Wizards a one-point lead with eleven seconds remaining. On the Cavs’ next possession, Darius Garland missed a three-pointer, and that pretty much closed the book on this big early-season game.
The Cavs lost a painfully close game to the Wizards on Wednesday night. Who was the stud and what was the dud from the contest?
Overall it was a good showing from the Cavs, who were, and will be without their leading scorer Collin Sexton for at least a month. With that being said, there were a couple of guys who shined last night, while others did not fare so well in the bright lights. Let’s check out the stud and the dud from last night’s loss to the Wizards.