Washington Wizards: Three keys to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers

1. Contain Collin Sexton

Although the Wizards came away victorious in their last meeting against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Collin Sexton absolutely tore up the porous Washington Wizards defense.

Sexton is averaging just under 20 points per game this season, but against the Wizards, Sexton had 19 in the first half. He finished with 29 points on an efficient 10/15 shooting, per Basketball-Reference.

In addition to Sexton’s outstanding scoring clip, Sexton added four assists, four rebounds, and two steals in nearly 37 minutes of game time.

Sexton’s career-game singlehandedly kept the Cavs within striking distance for the majority of their previous contest. And although he didn’t do as much damage in the two team’s first meeting this season – a 113-110 Cavs win – he was still his team’s second-leading scorer that game, trailing only Tristan Thompson.

If the Wizards can manage to slow down (if not stop) Sexton on Friday evening, the odds that the Wizards exit Capital One Arena with a victory will skyrocket. Luckily, their defense has looked better recently, especially since the trade deadline. Hopefully, that wasn’t a fluke.