Friday, November 11th, 2016
WHEN: 7:00 PM EST
WHERE: @verizoncenterpr, Washington, D.C.
WATCH: @FOXSportsOH
LISTEN: @WMMS 100.7 FM, @wtam1100, y La Mega 87.7FM
– Cavaliers (6-1, 1st in Central): Cleveland will be looking to get back into the win column after dropping a tough one to Atlanta on Tuesday night inside Quicken Loans Arena (110-106).
The Cavs struggled to find any kind of offensive rythm against the Hawks, shooting just 37.9% (37-99) from the field and 26.2% (11-42) from beyond the three-point line.
Kyrie Irving led all Cleveland scorers in Tuesday night’s loss, en route to 29 points and four assists in his 39 minutes of playing time.
Coming into tonight’s game, the Cavs are averaging 11.9 turnovers per game (second fewest turnovers per game average in the NBA).
Cleveland has made 11 or more three-pointers through their first seven games of the season, averaging 13.0 triples per contest (1st in NBA).
* MILESTONE ALERTS *
LeBron James (1,661) needs six steals to pass two-time NBA All Star, Fat Lever (1,666), for 23rd on the NBA’s all-time steals list. James is currently the only player in NBA history to rank top-10 in points and top-20 in assists.
James (26,993) is now just seven points shy of becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 27,000 career points.
* Cavaliers projected starting lineup (subject to change) *
(PG) Kyrie Irving (6′-3″, 193 lbs)
(SG) J.R. Smith (6′-6″, 225 lbs)
(SF) LeBron James (6′-8″, 250 lbs)
(PF) Kevin Love (6′-10″, 251 lbs)
(PF) Tristan Thompson (6′-10″, 238 lbs)
* Cavaliers injury report *
– (None)
– Wizards (2-5, 5th in Southeast): Despite their impressive victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night (118-93), led by Otto Porter’s career-high 34 points (20 in the first half) and 14 rebounds, Washington has lost three of their previous five outings.
A motivated Porter spoke with members of the media after Wednesday night’s win, saying:
“Right now, I’m trying to play at a high level every night. I’m trying to do what it is I can do to help this team win.”
Washington Head Coach Scott Brooks had high praise for Porter in a post-win locker room, saying:
“He gives you a lot of winning basketball plays. You can look at his field goal percentage, you can look at all the things that he does in his midrange game, his three-point shot has developed, as well as his offensive rebounding.”
John Wall leads the Wizards in scoring. The former University of Kentucky stand-out and number one overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft is averaging 21.3 points, 9.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game heading into tonight’s bout with the defending champs.
“The Polish Hammer,” formally known as Marcin Gortat, is averaging a double-double for Washington through their first seven games of the season (11.4 points and a team-high 11.9 rebounds per game). Gortat can be quite a load for opposing sides to deal with in the paint. Post-up skills, shot-blocking, and sheer size are all elements of his game.
Wizards guard, Bradley Beal, left Wednesday’s game due to tightness in his left hamstring. Despite a clean MRI result, Beal’s status is listed as questionable for tonight’s bout against Cleveland.
Tonight’s match-up marks the first of three meetings between these two Eastern Conference foes this season (at Washington on February 6th, at Cleveland on March 25th). The Cavs hold a 6-2 record in their previous eight trips to The Verizon Center.
* Wizards projected starting lineup (subject to change) *
(PG) John Wall (6′-4″, 210 lbs)
(SG) Bradley Beal (6′-5″, 207 lbs)
(SF) Otto Porter (6′-8″, 205 lbs)
(PF) Markeiff Morris (6′-10″, 245 lbs)
(C) Marcin Gortat (6′-11″, 240 lbs)
* Wizards injury report *
– (SG) Bradley Beal (hamstring): Questionable
– (C) Ian Mahinmi (knee): Out
* All stats and information via www.basketball-reference.com, www.rotoworld.com, www.nba.com, www.espn.com, Elias Sports Bureau, and The Associated Press *
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