Recap: Wizards 97, Cavs 94 (or, Missed Opportunity)

The Cavs collapsed in the fourth quarter, allowing the gritty and defensive-minded Washington Wizards steal a winnable game at home, 97-94. It was a missed opportunity for the Cavs to start their home stand right and to extend their winning streak to five games. In what has been a consistent problem this season, the Cavs were outrebounded again by nine boards, an indication that the Cavs weren’t capitalizing on their fantastic defense that held the Wizards to 42% shooting from the field. Let’s dive into last nights takeaways…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM0J54kc6h4

What did the Sexton-less offense look like?

The offense without Collin Sexton leaned heavily on Evan Mobley, whose usage skyrocketed to 38.0% for the game. The results were mixed. Mobley’s efficiency was average (55.2% true shooting percentage) and the team’s offense was very poor while he was on the floor (83.7 offensive rating). To be fair to Mobley, the offense really only bogged down in the fourth quarter and the team’s defense was elite as it usually is with Mobley on the floor. This type of usage for Mobley will be a net positive for the future, because when he figures out the offensive end, Mobley will become a true superstar player.

Darius Garland had a solid game, with a net rating of +2.7 in 36 minutes on the court. DG became even more efficient (59.4% true shooting percentage) with the increase in usage (25.6%). But as it has been a theme all year, turnovers were a problem for DG, and the eye test said that DG was way too passive in the first half of basketball. The Cavs have a lot of moving pieces with all the injuries, so adaptation will be key for the healthy guys to get used to playing without Young Bull, which they haven’t had to do very much over the past four years.

J.B. Bickerstaff’s questionable rotations

One of the biggest blunders of the night was Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s refusal to give Dean Wade and Dylan Windler run for their heady play this game and really all year so far. Both guys led all players in net rating (Wade +11.7, Windler +7.0), while Lamar Stevens, who saw more minutes than Windler, posted a team-worst -36.4 net rating. In the minutes Windler was on the court last night, the Cavs posted an elite 118.5 offensive rating. One of the best fourth quarter lineups last night was Wade and Windler sharing the court with Ricky Rubio, Isaac Okoro, and Mobley, but were only used for two minutes. It’s not clear what else those guys have to do to earn more minutes, because every time they touch the court the team plays well.

As for the Tower City lineup, in the 251 minutes Mobley and Allen have shared the court this season, the duo is a net negative at -2.39 and the offensive rating is abysmal at 100.99. Last night, the Tower City duo post a net rating of -38.8 in the 16 minutes they shared on the court, with an unacceptable 64.5 offensive rating. Frankly, the team never had a chance to win with these kind of lineups being thrown out there without any in-game adjustments.

Quick notes on the Wizards

The Washington Wizards are one of the surprise teams this year, with the Wizards currently sitting atop the Eastern Conference. Listening to sound bites from their new head coach Wes Unseld, Jr., he has to be one of the most impressive basketball minds currently in the NBA. He has his team playing elite, top five defense and they displayed the type of scrap and grit in the clutch moments of the game that Bickerstaff was surely envious of. So long as Washington stays bought in on the defensive end, they will continue to be a problem for the league all year long. Consider yours truly a believer in Wes Unseld, Jr. and the Washington Wizards.

Next up, facing off against Cade Cunningham

The Cavs have a day off before facing off against Cade Cunningham and the basement dwelling Detroit Pistons. If the Cavs want to be a serious player in the Eastern Conference playoff race, this is the type of game they need to win. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30pm ET, and as always, GO CAVS!

Author’s note

Shout out to CtB veterans David Wood and Nate Smith at the ball game supporting the team.