On Friday, the Washington Wizards take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game where both teams seek redemption for their recent struggles.
On Friday, the Washington Wizards host the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Wizards currently have a 4-3 record, while the CAVS, who have also struggled, are 3-5.
This game marks the return of Markieff Morris to the lineup, who was recovering from sports hernia surgery. According to Coach Scott Brooks, Keef will be on a minutes restriction, and most likely will play between 15 and 16 minutes.
Scott Brooks with his plan for Keef Morris' return, an update on the roster, and the mindset heading into Friday's #WizCavs game https://t.co/KiPW3dswuH
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) November 2, 2017
Cleveland’s center Tristan Thompson recently suffered a left strain calf in Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers. He is scheduled to be out for about 4 weeks.
The Wizards old friend Jae Crowder will be reinserted to start at the 5. This marks the first time Washington plays against Crowder, since that fateful game 7 in Boston.
Currently, the Wizards have the third spot in the East, while Cleveland sits at 13.
Regarding the CAVS’ recent struggles, LeBron James had this to say:
"“We have an opportunity to be very good and then you see some of the lulls that we have and it’s just very difficult on our team right now. We’re just trying to figure it out on the fly. … So, our team is kind of depleted as well, both on and off the floor.”"
Normally, the regular season doesn’t matter to the CAVS, but their defensive struggles match that of Washington’s.
After the Wizards gave up a 22-point lead in their loss to the Suns on Wednesday, Bradley Beal took his team to task:
"“We’re going to start holding guys accountable because this is unacceptable,” Beal said. “We weren’t undisciplined. We were too cool. We thought it was gonna be a cakewalk and they bust our ass, plain and simple. We can’t let anyone come in here and score 40.”"
Both Cleveland and Washington will try to make a statement tonight. The Wizards will still have a bit of an advantage, because their roster remained intact. Whereas Cleveland added 9 new players during the offseason.
Although the Wizards have continuity, there’s a concern with communication on the floor. The lack of communication has led to defensive lapses, as well as players not seeing the open man to take the best shot.
Kelly Oubre, Jr. should still see quality minutes even with the return of Morris. However, it’s most likely that Otto Porter, Jr. will be guarding James.
The key to tonight’s game is Porter. Not only can he shoot lights out, but he has been playing consistently this season. He’s also the Wizards’ best defender.
This season he’s averaging 51 percent from three-point range, and 2.7 steals per game. Against the Golden State Warriors, he was the best player on the floor.
If Washington is able to defend through all four quarters, they should win this game.
The Cavaliers are still expected to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Wizards hope to meet them there.
The Wizards play the Cavaliers at 7 PM on ESPN.