Recap: Wizards 122, Cavs 93 (Insult and Injury)

Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers put on an embarrassing display of basketball, getting run out of the gym after an unfortunate ankle injury to Darius Garland, 122-93 by the Washington Wizards. It was more of the same from their matchup five days ago, with the Wizards’ bench absolutely dominating the game. The Cavs showed a complete lack of intelligent offensive basketball with 24 turnovers and only 19 assists. Let’s dive into tonight’s takeaways…

Game Ball: Kevin Love and Jarrett Allen

It seems ludicrous that Love deserves a game ball, since he literally did not attempt one shot in this game and turned the ball over three times. But, Love impacted the game with his ball movement, rebounding (10 rebounds in only 22 minutes), and led the entire team in net rating (+4.2). Love was the only Cav with a positive plus/minus.

Clearly Love is being instructed by the coaching staff to allow Sexland to shoot as many shots as they want. But it’s reached the point of absurdity. Love is one of the best offensive power forwards ever to grace an NBA court, and the Cavs’ coaching staff have reduced him to a spot up shooter that isn’t allowed to touch the ball. Somebody should be held accountable for this basketball atrocity.

Allen turned in a tidy double-double, with an efficient 13 points (6-9 shooting) and 11 rebounds. He also chipped in two assists and a block. It was an elite defensive performance for Allen, who was active and competitive… just check out this vicious block on Rui Hachimura, the anticipation and strength is top notch:

It's a @_bigjayy_ block party and everyone's invited.#CavsWizards | #BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/0gB03Vywnv

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) May 1, 2021

Sexland: a vulgar display of ball hogging

Collin Sexton stat line: 36.3% usage rate, 49.8% true shooting percentage, 6.3 assist ratio (NBA average 17.9), eight turnovers.
Darius Garland stat line: 27.3% usage rate, 50.5% true shooting percentage, 16.7 assist ratio (DG season average 24.3), three turnovers.

Sexton was, let’s say “rusty.” The two things Sexton did best tonight offensively were jacking up terrible shots and turning the ball over. The only nice thing to say about Sexton’s game tonight was that he was competitive on the defensive end, with a steal and a block. The team also registered an elite 98.6 defensive rating while Sexton was on the court. Unfortunately, the Cavs also posted an unacceptable 92.9 offensive rating while Sexton was on the court.

DG was a little less of a ball hog than Sexton, but not by much. The biggest gripe about DG’s game tonight was the inability to find shots for Love within the flow of the offense. There were at least three instances where the Cavs created a mismatch for Love, with tiny guard Raul Neto defending Love. Zero times did the ball find Love in the post. That is a devastating lack of on court awareness and leadership from the starting point guard. The Cavs offensive rating while DG was on the court? 93.5.

Quick notes on the Wizards

The Wizards had no trouble dispatching the Cavs in spite of a relatively terrible game from their best player, Bradley Beal. Instead, there was an avalanche of fantastic team play from a variety of players. Russell Westbrook turned in a vintage triple double with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, and a +15 plus/minus to boot. The aforementioned Neto led the Wizards’ starters with a +21 plus/minus and 17 points on only seven shots, completely outplaying Sexland. Newly minted Cavs killer Daniel Gafford posted a +28 plus/minus in only 22 minutes off the bench. Ish Smith decided to narrowly outperform Gafford with a +34 plus/minus in only 25 minutes. A complete team performance from a scorching hot squad.

No rest for the weary…

The Cavs have a back to back against the playoff-bound Miami Heat tomorrow night at 8PM, and they will most likely play without DG, which is speculation but based on some of the post game reporting. The tank is in the safe and secure hands of Koby Altman and JB Bickerstaff as the Cavs approach the near certainty of playoff/play-in elimination.

#Cavs J.B. Bickerstaff said Darius Garland's ankle was "pretty swollen" after tonight's game.

— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) May 1, 2021