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Washington Wizards: Wizards cool off LeBron and the hot Cavs in Cleveland, 110-103

By Donnell Coley

LEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 22: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards reacts during the final seconds of the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on February 22, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Wizards defeated the Cavaliers 110-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
LEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 22: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards reacts during the final seconds of the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on February 22, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Wizards defeated the Cavaliers 110-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – FEBRUARY 22: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards drives around Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena on February 22, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – FEBRUARY 22: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards drives around Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena on February 22, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

The Washington Wizards earned a 110-103 win over the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Thursday night. It’s the team’s eighth win in the last 10 games.

Thursday marked the first night of basketball after the All-Star break and the Washington Wizards (34-24) picked up where they left off. They grounded the streaking Cavaliers with a 110-103 win in Cleveland. It was the Wizards first win against LeBron James and the Cavs this season and their eighth win in the last 10 games.

All-star guard Bradley Beal finished with a team-high 19 points and nine assists. His most important points coming with just 28 seconds left in the fourth. Beal took his time, sized up the defense, then drove to the basket for a layup that put Washington up 108-103.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had another great game off the bench, scoring 12 of his 17 points before the half. And Tomas Satoransky proved, yet again, he’s more than capable of running the show. He scored 17 points and added eight assists with zero turnovers.

James tried his best to single-handedly fuel the Cavs to their fifth straight victory, racking up a game-high 32 points. He scored his team’s last 14 points in the fourth and brought them within three before Beal’s big bucket. But James missed two crucial free throws with 17 seconds left that could’ve made it a single possession game, and that essentially ended their comeback chances.

Here’s what you need to know from the win.

Wizards keep eating

In yet another game without five-time All-Star guard John Wall, the Wizards earned their most impressive. The team is now 8-2 without their starting point guard and though there are a few reasons for the recent success, one reigns supreme: passing.

Beal spoke with TNT after the game about the importance of ball movement as they await Wall’s return.

“We just trust each other. It’s big shoes to fill with John being out and everybody has to step up,” Beal said.

Led by Beal and Satoransky, Washington displayed trust by constantly making the appropriate pass to the open man. They ended the game with a 29-20 edge in assists. In the second quarter, the ball hopped around and the Cavs just couldn’t rotate quick enough. The Wizards ended the second with a game-changing 26-11 run and led 57-54 at the half.

One of the biggest assists of the night came from Beal as he caught the inbound with just under a minute left in the game. Instead of forcing a shot with defenders draped all over him, he found a wide open Otto Porter who layed it in to take a 106-101 lead.

Washington is 8-1 without Wall when they have 25 or more assists.

Satoransky shines again

In just his second season, Satoransky has shown he’s deserving of every single minute he gets at the point guard spot. After his performance against the Cavs, he’s tied for first in the NBA in turnover/assist ratio.

Satoransky willingly gives up the ball on time. That’s a skill some guards never develop because of how fast the NBA moves.

He’s also showing more confidence when it comes to shooting. Against the Cavs, Satoransky was 6-for-7 from the field and scored seven points in the third quarter to keep the team’s momentum.

The Wizards are in good shape for the rest of the year if he can sustain this effort.

LeBron’s dominance not enough

The ‘King’ continued to control his court, and was engaged from the opening tip. His pace in the beginning of the game was too much for the Wizards starters as he was easily setting up teammates for open shots. At the end of the first, he already had seven points, five rebounds and six assists.

Washington did as much as they could to keep him at bay for the next two quarters, but when James saw that he wasn’t going to get much help from the supporting cast, he took matters into his own hand. He was the only Cavs player to score in the last eight minutes of the game.

With the win, the Wizards only trail James and the Cavs by one game in the loss column. They’ll play the second of a back-to-back on Friday when they host the Charlotte Hornets.

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