Cleveland is looking to snap a two-game losing streak and are coming off a disappointing 92-90 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Washington stumbled on Wednesday in their 105-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, but they still have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and are looking for their first marquee win of the season.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (5-5)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.9 ppg, 5.0 apg
G Shawn Marion – 5.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg
F LeBron James – 25.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 6.8 apg
F Kevin Love – 16.7 ppg, 10.4 rpg
C Anderson Varejao – 10.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Washington Wizards (7-3)
G John Wall – 18.6 ppg, 9.3 apg
G Bradley Beal – 21.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
F Paul Pierce – 12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg
F Nene -11.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg
C Marcin Gortat - 13.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg
What to watch for:
Which backcourt plays better?
These two sides got into a war of words in the offseason debating who has the better backcourt, and tonight is their first matchup against each other this season. Dion Waiters will be coming off the bench and Bradley Beal is recovering from injury, which may slow both of them down. John Wall and Kyrie Irving will be going head-to-head, and whoever can win that matchup will probably lead their team to victory.
How will the Cavs distribute the ball on offense?
Kevin Love has voiced his frustrations with his decreasing role in Cleveland's offense, and head coach David Blatt has said they're going to try and get him the ball more. This could work against the Cavs if they break all continuity and flow in their offense to force feed him the ball. However, Love is one of the best scorers in the league and will exploit Washington's average post defense if he's used the right way.
Prediction: Wizards win 101-99
The criticism surround this Cavaliers team is about to hit a fever pitch. This game is Washington's Super Bowl of the regular season, and the atmosphere in the Verizon Center is going to be electric. I expect the Wizards to play with a level of intensity that the Cavs won't match, and they'll pull out a close win.
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