The Washington Wizards (0-2) fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0) 135-116.
As the doors of Capital One opened to the second game of the Wizards season, the team debuted their new black and red “district” jerseys for their matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, looking to course correct after their loss to the NBA Champion Boston Celtics. While Washington ultimately did not pull off the win, the Wizards’ rookies showed promising flashes, giving hope for this rebuilding season.
Capital One thundered as the Wizards started the game with Jordan Poole, Bub Carrington, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, and Kyle Kuzma to face Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, Dean Wade, Jarett Allen, Darius Garland, and Dovovan Mitchell.
Rookie Alex Sarr, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, impressed early with a drive to the basket on offense and an intercepted pass on defense near Cleveland’s hoop. Yet, Garland fired off two quick shots to give the Cavaliers an early lead going into the first time out. The referees called fouls frequently in the first quarter, and the Wizards quickly went over the bonus by the five minute mark. Later in the quarter, rookie Bilal Coulibaly impressed Wizards fans with a dunk. He led the team in scoring by the end of the first with seven points. Cleveland 28, Washington 25.
Entering the second, Sarr continued to show off with a massive block with two seconds left on the shot clock. Coulibaly followed with a timely three, and the Wizards rookies looked sharp early in the game. The two teams continued to battle throughout the quarter, with the Cavs taking a seven point lead at the halfway point. To rile up the crowd, beloved mascot G-Wiz rode an ATV around the court during a timeout. The Wizards began to struggle around the rim, with Allen slamming a backboard shaking dunk and Caris LeVert executing a stylish reverse layup. Nevertheless, Sarr began to get hot with a dunk assisted by Kuzma and a three pointer to cut into the Cavs lead. Headed into halftime, the Cavs led 59-53.
The Cavs quickly jumped out to a 64-55 lead after coming back onto the court, forcing Brian Keefe and the Wizards to call a timeout. However, the Cavs continued the attack, and after a steal leading to a Garland three, the Wizards had to call another timeout. This precipitated a Wizards backslide, as the Cavs showed why they were in the playoffs last season. Kuzma and Poole ran most of the offense this quarter, with Kuzma missing his fair share of layups. By the end of the third, the score sat at 97-81 Cavs.
The blowout continued into the fourth quarter, and fans began rooting for the Cavs to miss two free throws in a row, so everyone could get free Chick-fil-A. That blessing would come with 3:22 left in the game, when Tristan Thompson bricked two when pressured by the screaming crowd.
While the Wizards played the Cavs close in the first half, they were eventually overwhelmed by Mitchell’s 30 points, and Garland and Allen each dropping 23. Bilal Coulibaly led the Wizards with 23 points himself. The Wizards’ main problem was shooting. Wizards players shot 38.5 percent from the court, compared to the Cavs’ 54 percent. If the team wants to be competitive moving forward, they will need to shore up their offense.
Despite the state of the team this season, the Wizards have a promising future ahead of them with Sarr, Coulibaly, and Carrington. They are not expected to win many games this season, nor even get near the playoffs. However, they can still have fun and grow together as a team and that is what should matter most this season.
Next up for Washington is the Atlanta Hawks (2-0) Monday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m EST. For continued coverage and updates on Washington sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.
