Cleveland Cavaliers aim for 12th straight NBA win over Washington Wizards
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Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers after making a buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat the Detroit Pistons, 118-115, at Little Caesars Arena on Feb 5.
PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON – Fresh off a dramatic win, the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to strengthen their lead atop the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference on Feb 7 (Feb 8, Singapore time) when they travel to face the suddenly streaking Washington Wizards.
Cleveland won their fifth game in six tries on Feb 5, as Darius Garland’s 31-foot, buzzer-beating three-pointer gave the Cavaliers a 118-115 road victory over the Detroit Pistons.
“It was incredible. We had a play set up and he disregarded the play and went and made a play,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said of Garland’s heroics. “It’s what great players do. They make big plays.”
Garland finished with 25 points and is averaging 21.8 points and 6.8 assists for the season. The 25-year-old is one of three Cleveland All-Stars, as Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell will join Garland for the showcase event in San Francisco on Feb 16, along with Atkinson as the East coach.
For now, the focus is on the Wizards. As the NBA’s best and worst records collide, Cleveland will aim to win their 12th straight game against Washington – a streak that began in February 2022.
Amid another dreadful season, the Wizards have found success in February, winning their first three games of the month following a 16-game losing streak to cap January. Even more impressive, their three wins have all come on the road, improving their away record to 4-21.
On Feb 5, the Wizards finished with a season-high 40 assists to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 119-102, holding the Nets to a mere 12 points in the third quarter.
In an otherwise lacklustre season for Washington, the play of second-year rising star Bilal Coulibaly has been on display, including against Brooklyn as he recorded his first triple-double with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
“It all starts with his activity and his rebounding,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said of Coulibaly. “Some of that stuff is in transition so it’s all tied together. But it all comes from his defence and his ability to get the ball off the board and push. He did a great job of finding guys.”
Coulibaly will accompany rookie teammates Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington during the All-Star Weekend, with the trio selected to compete in the Rising Stars Challenge.
Adding a much-needed veteran piece to their roster, Washington traded for three-time All-Star Khris Middleton on Feb 5, acquiring the 33-year-old from the Milwaukee Bucks – along with rookie A.J. Johnson and a 2028 first-round pick swop – in exchange for Washington’s second-leading scorer Kyle Kuzma (15.2 points per game), Patrick Baldwin Jr and a 2025 first-round pick.
Middleton is averaging 12.6 points per game this season, his lowest since 2013-14.
The forward, though, has topped 20 points in three of his past four games and could provide a complement to Wizards leading scorer Jordan Poole (20.3 points per game).
Meanwhile on Feb 6, LeBron James poured in 42 points to join Michael Jordan as the only 40-year-olds to score 40 points in an NBA game as the Los Angeles Lakers notched a 120-112 home victory over the Golden State Warriors.
In another game, Klay Thompson scored 25 points and Spencer Dinwiddie added 22 off the bench as the Dallas Mavericks earned a 127-120 road victory over the Boston Celtics. REUTERS
