The Cleveland Cavaliers head to the nation’s capital tonight to take on a recently-returned John Wall and the Washington Wizards in a Sunday evening clash. The Cavs are hot off the tails of a nice win over the Utah Jazz that finished off a 4-0 homestand in which they received Tristan Thompson back in their rotation. This will be the second meeting between the two teams, Cleveland winning the only matchup by a score of 130-122. The Cavs were in search of a defensive identity last time they took on the Wizards and will look much sharper on that side of the ball this time around.
Let’s look at the three keys to a Cleveland victory to start off the quick road trip.
1. Limit John Wall- John Wall is one of the best point guards in the NBA. With his moves that are impossible to guard along with his knack for scoring at will, Wall is an absolute terror for opposing defenses. That’s why it is imperative that the Cavs address him immediately.
If Wall can’t get going, the Wizards are stagnant on offense. As good as Bradley Beal is, he cannot create his own shot and needs his backcourt partner to help him find a groove. Same goes for the big men that Washington boasts down low, Marcin Gortat especially. Gortat is by no means a mid-range shooter and is a statue when he receives the ball from anywhere besides on the block. Wal, is still getting back from that injury that kept him sidelined for an extended period of time, so testing his cardio wouldn’t be the worst idea either.
2. Stretch The Floor- As mentioned before, the bigs of Washington are very good inside the paint but are not of much use when kicked out to the three-point line. That’s where the Cavs should take advantage and send Kevin Love to the arc even more than they normally would. With Gortat more than likely to check Love in the starting rotation, look for big things from Love tonight.
When that happens, LeBron will then find a lot of openings to get to the rim, making it unlikely the Wizards keep up on defense.
3. Working In Thompson- Tristan Thompson is still adapting to his bench role that he was thrown in this year after being moved in favor of Love. After being out for a month, it has slowed the adaptation process and has made things difficult for everyone involved.
Tonight, Tyronn Lue should look to figure out how he can best implement Thompson into the second unit. With guys that can score like Kyle Korver and Jeff Green, it should be a nice spot for Thompson to secure rebounds and send them back out to the wings for a second-chance look.
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