Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards preview: Taking care of business
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards square off in a battle between the top and bottom seeds in the Eastern Conference.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (18-3) vs. Washington Wizards (2-16)
Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – Cleveland, OH
When: 7:00 p.m., Tuesday Dec. 3
TV: Fanduel Sports Network Ohio (previously Bally Sports), NBA League Pass
Line: Cavs -16
Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.
Cavs injury report: Ty Jerome – QUESTIONABLE (illness) Max Strus – OUT (ankle), Emoni Bates – OUT (knee), Dean Wade – QUESTIONABLE (ankle), JT Thor – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)
Expected Wizards starting lineup: Jordan Poole, Malcom Brogdon, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr
Wizards injury report: Kyle Kuzma – OUT (rib), Saddiq Bey – OUT (knee), Tristen Vukcevic – OUT (knee)
Fear the Sword will be hosting a live stream watch party for select games this year on Playback. Join Tony Pesta as we react to all the action.
There will be no NBA Cup implications as both Cleveland and Washington have already been eliminated. Yet, this is another opportunity for the Cavaliers to add to their win total and fend off the Boston Celtics — who are quickly challenging the Cavs for the No. 1 seed despite their undefeated start.
Battle of youth
The Wizards are still in the thick of a rebuild. That means prospects such as Bilil Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and Carlton “Bub” Carrington will all be on the floor tonight as the Cavaliers get a glimpse of this developing talent.
Sarr will pose an interesting matchup for Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. The No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, Sarr recently put up 20 points on 4-5 three-point shooting against the Chicago Bulls. It didn’t translate to a win (not even close) but Sarr’s potential floor spacing could give Cleveland’s frontcourt another chance at polishing their defense against perimeter-oriented bigs.
Getting back to Cleveland’s roots
The Cavaliers have predicated themselves on defense. Over the last three years, that’s been their calling card. But this year, things are beginning to shift — with the Cavs scoring in bunches and sometimes, not bringing the same energy on the defensive end.
The defense has slipped, falling to 19th over the last two weeks. They’ve struggled to contain the point of attack as drive-and-kick opportunities have led to a barrage of three-point shooting against them. Opponents are shooting the second-highest three-point percentage in the NBA versus Cleveland.
This is a trend the Cavaliers should look to course correct in tonight’s matchup. The Wizards have some firepower on offense but not enough to give this team any problems — as long as they take this matchup seriously.