Cavaliers outlast Wizards in an ugly game 115-105

BY TIM SHIRER

CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER

(CLEVELAND, OH) - The NBA’s in season tournament is taking place this week and the teams who did not qualify like the Cleveland Cavaliers who sport the league’s best record at 21-4 have had a little extra time off. The Cavs entered Friday night’s game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse with the visiting Washington Wizards (3-19, 1-9 road) having had four days off after their last game in South Beach against the Heat where the Cavs lost 122-113.

When the two teams last met on December 3rd the Cavs blew out the Wizards 118-87. On Friday night the Wizards were even more shorthanded than the previous meeting as Keyshawn George (injured early in that game), Malcom Brogdon and Corey Kispert did not play. The Cavs were missing Evan Mobley who was nursing a left ankle sprain. The game was not exactly a masterpiece or even a bad piece of art as the Cavs pulled out the 115-105 win to improve to 22-4 on the season and sending the Wizards to their 20th loss.

After the Cavs jumped out to a 6-0 lead courtesy of two Donovan Mitchell three’s the Wizards cut the Cleveland lead to 8-6 on hook shot by Alex Saar in the paint with 8:58 left in the opening period. Washington pulled to within one at 10-9 with 7:48 left when Saar hit a three. The Wizards then took an 11-10 lead with 7:10 left when Bilal Coulibaly drove the lane and scored. Early on the Cavs were having trouble containing Wizards big man Saar as he had seven points in the first six minutes of the game giving the Wizards a 13-12 lead with 6:25 left on the clock in the opening period. The Cavs tied the game 13-13 when Caris LeVert hit two free throws with 5:41 left. With 4:55 left Jordan Poole gave the Wizards a 15-13 lead and then a 17-13 lead with 4;30 left on a layup by Justin Champagnie. After Tristan Thompson missed two free throws the Wizards responded with a three by Johnny Davis to take a 23-16 lead with 2:50 remaining in the first quarter. The Wizards’ lead ballooned to 25-17 with 2:06 left when Coulibaly hit both free throws after being fouled by Georges Niang. The Cavs cut the lead to 25-21 with 1:119 left on a Mitchell three and then to 25-23 when LeVert hit a jumper in the paint with :55 left in the opening 12 minutes. LeVert was then fouled with :28.8 left and hit both free throws tying the game 25-25 which is what the scored remained when the first quarter buzzer sounded. Mitchell led all scorers with 10 first quarter points. Sarr and Poole paced the Wizards with seven points each. Both teams pulled down 13 rebounds. The Cavs were 8 for 23 (33%) from the field and the Wizards shot 10 for 24 (41%).

The Cavs started off hot in the second quarter scoring the first six points to take a 31-25 lead with 10:25 left. Washington took an immediate timeout in an attempt to stop the Cavs’ momentum. The timeout worked as Washington responded scoring the next six points, tying the game 31-31 with 9:19 left after Niang fouled Marvin Bagley III and he hit both free throws. The Wizard regained the lead 33-31 with 8:48 left when Bagley drove the lane for a dunk. After Garland tied the game 33-33 with 7:57 left on two free throws, Garland gave the Cavs a three point lead when he drove the lane, hit the layup and was fouled. Garland went to the foul line once again with 6:25 left in the opening half. He hit both free throws, growing the Cavs lead to 38-33. After Okoro got a little too cute and missed an easy dunk the Wizards responded Coulibaly finished Washington fast break with a dunk with 5:31 left cutting the Cavs lead to 39-38. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson took an immediate timeout. The Cavs lead grew to 46-38 with 4:18 left in the first half when Merrill drained a three off a steal by LeVert at the other end. The Cavs lead was then double digits at 49-38 with 3:47 left when Garland drained another three, his second of the first half. With 2:01 left LeVert was fouled by Bub Carrington (no relation to the Carrington’s of Denver). Poole took exception to the call and was accessed a technical. Mitchell hit the technical free throw, LeVert hit both of his and the Cavs led 55-44. The Wizards cut the Cavs lead to 57-52 with :36 left on a Jared Butler three. Then cut the lead to 57-54 with :02.6 left when Champagnie hit a second chance basket. The Cavs three point lead where it stood at the halftime break. Garland and Mitchell led all scorers with 14 first half points apiece. Poole led the Wizards with 12 points at the intermission. The Wizards continued to outshoot the Cavs from the field in the second quarter. Through the first 24 minutes the Wizards were shooting 46% (22 of 48) from the field, while the Cavs shot just 36% (16 of 44). Neither team was anything special from behind the three-point line as the Wizards shot 31% (6 of 19) and the Cavs shot just 30% (8 of 26) from long range. Both teams also struggled from the free throw line, the Wizards shot only six free throws and converted just four. While the Cavs shot 26 free throws and managed to make only 17. Needless to say, the first half was anything but a thing of beauty.

With 11:06 left in the third the Wizards tied the game on a three by Saar. The early minutes of the second half were even uglier than the first half. As both teams shot a combined 1 for 11 from the field in the first 2:54. The Wizards took a 60-57 lead with 9:05 left when Poole was fouled by Dean Wade and hit the free throw for the three point play. The Cavs then tied the game on a three by Okoro and then took the lead with 8:17 left when Garland hit a jumper and was fouled. He hit the free throw to give Cleveland a 63-60 lead. Early in the second half the officials decided they would get paid more if they blew their whistles. Poole was fouled with 7:43 left, he both and the Cavs lead was at 63-62. Allen was then fouled on the other end as he hit a layup, he hit the free throw to give the Cavs a 66-62 lead with 7:30 left in the third period. With 7:06 left the Cavs lead was 69-64 after Okoro hit a three. The Cavs couldn’t put the Wizards away in the second half of the third quarter as they continued to respond until there was less than a minute left the Cavs lead grew to 86-80 when Mitchell hit a three with :20.0 left on the clock. After a Wizards missed shot the Cavs fast break resulted in Poole hacking LeVert with :00.7 left in the third. The foul by Poole was deemed flagrant after review. LeVert hit one of the two free throws, and the Cavs led 87-80 at the end of three quarters. Mitchell and Coulibaly led all scorers with 19 points apiece. Both teams continued to shoot miserably from the field and the three point line, as well as the foul line.

The Cavs’ lead grew to 92-84 with 10:07 left when Merrill drained a three. With 6:44 left the Cavs lead was 99-90 and then it was down to 99-92 when Champagnie drove the lane for a layup with 6:27 left. Then Champagnie cut the Cleveland lead to 99-94 with 6:09 left. Atkinson called a timeout. With 4:22 left the Cavs’ lead widened to 101-94 when Garland was fouled by Champagnie and hit both free throws. Garland put one nail in the Washington coffin with 3:56 left when he hit a three on a pass from Mitchell giving Cleveland a 104-94 lead. The Wizards responded with a three of their own with 3:34 left when Coulibaly hit from long range cutting the Cavs lead to seven. Allen responded at the other end with a dunk. The Cavs’ lead, however, was down to 106-100 with just over two minutes remaining when Coulibaly hit another three. After Allen scored again in the paint Washington hit another three with 1:43 left and cut the Cavs lead to 108-103. Garland then hit a jumper to give the Cavs a 110-103 lead on an assist from Okoro with 1:22 left. Washington missed at the other end and Okoro sealed the deal for Cleveland with :40.8 left when he hit a three from in front of the Wizards bench giving Cleveland a 113-10 lead. The Wizard took an immediate timeout, only to turn the ball over on the inbound by committing a five second violation. The Cavs attempted to run the clock down, but the Wizards decided to foul. Okoro went to the line and hit both free throws giving the Cavs a 115-103 lead with just :19.6 left on the clock. As the clock ran out the Cavs held on to win possibly the ugliest game, they and any of their opponents have played this season 115-105.

Coulibaly led all scorers in a losing effort with 27 points. Garland led the Cavs with 24 points. Allen had 21 points and Mitchell had 20. The Cavs had 10 guys available and played all ten, nine scored, only Thompson was held scoreless, but had opportunities as he missed one shot from the field and both free throw attempts he took.

Both teams struggled from the field at times in the game with the Wizards outshooting the Cavs 48% (41 of 86) to 40% (36 of 91). Shooting from behind the three-point line was even uglier as the Wizards once again outshot the Cavs, this time 35% (15 of 40) to 29% (15 of 51). The Cavs outrebounded the Wizards 50 to 44. The Wizards turned the ball over 18 times resulting in 26 Cavs points, while Cavs only committed 11 turnovers, and the Wizards scored only 10 points off of them.

The Cavs will be in action next on Monday when they travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets (10-14, 9-6 home) at the Barclays Center at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be the second of the season between the two clubs. The Cavs won the first meeting in Cleveland on November 9th 105-100 which ran their season opening 15 game winning streak to 11. The Cavs lead the all-time series 111-85, but the Nets do own the advantage in Brooklyn (Izod Center (New Jersey), Barclays Center) 55-41. The Cavs however have won four straight in Brooklyn.