Cavaliers battle in Washington
The Wizards and Cavs battled on Friday night in the nation’s capital, but LeBron James’ 57 points led Cleveland to victory, 130-122. Bradley Beal scored 36 points and the Wizards’ bench contributed 41 points, but James was simply too much to contain. John Wall was hit hard throughout the game and sprained his left shoulder in the second half, but played the entire game.
Cleveland got off to a scorching start, scoring 42 points on 77.3% shooting in the first quarter. The Wizards were up to the task early, however, scoring 36 points of their own on 66.7% shooting. James and Derrick Rose made 12-of-14 shots to lead the Cavs, while Marcin Gortat scored 11 points and John Wall had seven of his 15 assists for the Wizards.
“I think I did the best I could to try and contest on every shot and he made some tough shots over me and that’s why he’s the player that he is,” Wall said after the game about guarding James
.Markieff Morris saw his first action of the season after recovering from sports hernia surgery. He played 14-plus minutes and finished with two points, four rebounds, and three assists. Morris was on a 16-minute restriction, and the Wizards clearly missed him down the stretch of the game. Still, having Morris back was a step in the right direction and he should be back in full swing in a week or so.
“I was happy for him, more than anything, coming off his injury, and coming into a big game like that,” Beal said of Morris’ return. “He’s a competitor, he’s always ready.”
Next up, the Wizards head to Toronto for a quick one-game road trip up north on Sunday at 6:00pm in another pivotal Eastern Conference game.
