Amidst an uncharacteristic slide, the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to emerge from their five-day break energized as they face the hapless Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital on Friday.
Cleveland, which played five games in seven days before the time off, has lost five of its last seven and scored a season-low 94 points against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
As non-NBA Cup qualifiers get a chance to reset, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson used the time as a rare in-season chance to get back to the basics.
“We’re not enjoying it. We’re on edge,” Atkinson said of the break. “We’re competitors. This isn’t fun. Our film session was uncomfortable, practice was uncomfortable. Everybody wants that joy. The joy comes back when you start improving and turning the corner. It’s a reset in the sense that we can re-examine what our identity is and go back to where we started in training camp.”
Atkinson’s message resonated with forward De’Andre Hunter, who ranks third on the team with 16 points per game, but totaled a season-low six against Golden State.
“(Atkinson) just called us out,” Hunter said. “He broke down exactly what we needed to do, what we haven’t been good at, and we watched it. Being able to watch that as a whole team isn’t the easiest thing to see, but I think it’s going to help us.”
Donovan Mitchell’s 30.5 ppg clip ranked fourth in the NBA entering Thursday, while reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley is averaging 18.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. The Cavaliers are hoping center Jarrett Allen returns after missing the last five games with a finger injury. Allen was a full participant in practice on Tuesday.
If there’s any team that can help Cleveland get back on track, it’s Washington.
The Wizards (3-19) entered Thursday tied with the New Orleans Pelicans (3-22) for the league’s fewest wins. Washington has also dropped 13 straight against the Cavaliers, a streak that began in February 2022.
Entering Thursday, the Wizards own the league’s worst scoring defense (128.3 points allowed per game), commit the most turnovers per game (16.2) and have the worst point-differential (-15.9) in the NBA.
Since taking over in January 2024, head coach Brian Keefe is 29-114, the second-worst winning percentage (.203) for any coach with a minimum of 100 games in the league (Brian Winters, .196).
En route to another long season, Keefe is searching for any bright spots. Rookie Will Riley totaled a season-high 15 points in the Wizards’ last outing, a 131-116 home setback to the Atlanta Hawks last Saturday.
Fighting for playing time among a youth-filled roster, Riley is beginning to emerge as a piece Washington would like to rely on.
“He’s obviously a growing player,” Keefe said. “You can see the things he does really well. His ability to crash, get on the boards, his ability to make plays in the paint for himself and his teammates. We’ve been really pleased with his progress.”
Alex Sarr’s 19.1 ppg lead the Wizards, while veteran CJ McCollum adds 18.6.
