The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves at home, rather than spending a weekend in Las Vegas, as they begin the post-NBA Cup portion of their schedule on Friday night against the Washington Wizards.
The Cavaliers have won 21 of their first 25 games, giving them the best record in the NBA. However, two of their four losses came against the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks in group play of the NBA Cup, allowing the Hawks to advance to the quarterfinals while the Cavaliers got an unexpected four-day break.
Guard Darius Garland believes the time off—especially following a 122-113 loss at Miami in the team’s most recent outing on Sunday—could be a blessing in disguise.
Each team that didn’t make the Cup quarterfinals had two games added to its schedule. The Cavaliers caught the easiest additions, with a home game against the 3-19 Wizards, followed by a trip to Brooklyn to face the 10-14 Nets on Monday.
According to Power Rankings Guru, the Cavaliers have played the easiest schedule in the NBA so far. It will get significantly more difficult from here on, ranking as the 17th-hardest among the 30 teams.
If previous results this season are any indication, starting with the Wizards should provide a smooth transition. The Cavaliers romped to a 135-116 victory in Washington during the first week of the season and then had an even easier time in a 118-87 home win as part of the NBA Cup.
The latter win was part of a four-game winning streak that led into Sunday’s loss at Miami.
The Wizards went 0-4 in the same NBA Cup group as Cleveland. Those losses were part of an overall 16-game losing streak that ended with a surprising 122-113 home win over the Denver Nuggets last Saturday.
Washington reverted to previous form when they were thumped 140-112 by the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Sunday. Like Cleveland, the Wizards have also had the last four days off.
To add insult to injury, the Wizards’ other add-on game is a home matchup against the Celtics on Sunday.
Wizards coach Brian Keefe has experience in tough situations. He was on the Oklahoma City coaching staff when the team began the 2008-09 season 3-29. The Thunder made the playoffs the next season and the NBA Finals three years later.
Friday’s game will match the NBA leaders in 3-point shooting percentage (Cleveland, 40.4 percent) against the team that has allowed the fourth-highest accuracy rate from beyond the arc (Washington, 37.4 percent).
The Cavaliers outscored the Wizards 102-57 on 3-pointers in the first two meetings, with Donovan Mitchell (10-for-19), Sam Merrill (7-for-16), and Garland (6-for-10) combining for 69 of those points.
