By james art The Washington Wizards (0-2) lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0) 135-116.
As the Capital One doors opened for the Wizards’ second game of the season, the team debuted their new black and red “area” jerseys for their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, looking for a course correction after their loss to the NBA champion Boston Celtics. While Washington ultimately fell short, the Wizards’ rookies showed flashes of promise, giving hope for this rebuilding season.
Capital One exploded as the Wizards started the game with Jordan Poole, Bub Carrington, Alex Sarr, Bilal Koulibaly and Kyle Kuzma to go up against Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Dovovan Mitchell.
Rookie Alex Saar, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, impressed early with a drive to the basket on offense and an interception on defense near the Cleveland hoop. Still, Garland hit two quick shots to give the Cavaliers an early lead in the first time out. Referees often called fouls in the first quarter, and the Wizards quickly exceeded the bonus by the fifth minute. Later in the quarter, rookie Bilal Koulibaly impressed Wizards fans with a dunk. He led the team in scoring by the end of the first game with seven points. Cleveland 28, Washington 25.
Entering the second, Sarr proceeded to come off a massive block with two seconds left on the shot clock. Koulibaly followed with a timely three-pointer, and the Wizards rookies looked sharp early in the game. The two teams continued to battle throughout the quarter, with the Cavs holding a seven-point lead at the midway 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 hitting a shaky dunk on the backboard and Caris LeVert making a stylish putback. However, Sarr started to heat up with a Kuzma-assisted dunk and a 3-pointer to cut into the Cavs’ lead. The Cavs led 59-53 at halftime.
The Cavs quickly took a 64-55 lead after returning to the court, forcing Brian Keefe and the Wizards to call a timeout. However, the Cavs continued to attack, and after a steal leading to a three-pointer by Garland, the Wizards had to call another timeout. It hastened the Wizards’ retreat as the Cavs showed why they were in the playoffs last season. Kuzma and Poole carried the bulk of the offense this quarter, with Kuzma missing his fair share of layups. By the end of the third, the score remained 97-81 for the Cavs.
The blowout continued into the fourth quarter and fans started rooting for the Cavs to miss two straight free throws so everyone could get a free Chick-fil-A. That blessing would come with 3:22 left in the game when Tristan Thompson scored two as he was pinned down by the screaming crowd.
While the Wizards played close to the Cavs in the first half, they were ultimately defeated by Mitchell’s 30 points, and Garland and Allen each dropped 23. Bilal Koulibaly led the Wizards with 23 points. The Wizards’ main problem was shooting. The Wizards shot 38.5 percent from the field, compared to the Cavs’ 54 percent. If the team wants to be competitive going forward, they will need to step up their offense.
Despite the state of the team this season, the Wizards have a promising future ahead of them with Sarr, Koulibaly and Carrington. They are not expected to win many games this season or even come close to the playoffs. However, they can still have fun and grow together as a team, and that’s what’s most important this season.
Next up for Washington is the Atlanta Hawks (2-0) Monday, October 28 at 7:30 PM EST. For continuous Washington sports coverage and updates, follow along @GUVoiceSports on Twitter.