The Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards went head to head for their fourth and final NBA Cup game within Group Play on Tuesday night.
Both teams came into the night already eliminated from further cup play, but still with the opportunity to add another win to their record. Tonight for the Cavaliers, it was another game to add cushion as the No 1. seed in the Eastern Conference – continuing to work at keeping the Celtics at arms length with a 118-87 win over the Wizards.
In & Out w/ Injuries - Darius Garland exited the game later in the third quarter after getting elbowed in the head by Wizards Center Jonas Valančiūnas. Garland laid on the ground under the rim collecting himself, then moments later walked off the court with trainers to the locker room.
It was later announced the point guard was being evaluated and would not return to the game – The good news came post-game when Atkinson said he had just come from the locker room where Darius gave him the thumbs up and he doesn’t anticipate Garland missing any time.
Prior to his exit, Garland put up 12 points, shooting 4-7, and going a perfect 2-2 from the foul line.
Garland’s injury wasn’t the only scare the Cavs had during the game, as Donovan Mitchell also had a bump in with Valančiūnas. The collision resulted in Mitchell running off the floor favoring his right shoulder. Mitchell returned to the bench soon after, and was back in the game within minutes.
You wouldn’t have thought Mitchell missed a beat. With 5:41 left in the fourth quarter, spinning around two Washington defenders to score in the paint, then stealing the inbounds ball, pulling up at the three point line for back to back buckets. Any magic the Wizards had left in them was gone after the play.
After the game, Atkinson and Mitchell both ruled the minor in-game injury as a stinger.
Wizards also lost a couple days by the end of the game. Coming out of halftime, the bench was without Corey Kispert and Kyshawn George. The pair being ruled out for the remainder of the game due to sprained ankles suffered in the first half of play.
In the fourth quarter, Washington’s point guard Malcolm Brogdon left the game and did not return with knee soreness.
Cavs Double Trouble- Eight of the Cavaliers 12 players to reach the floor tonight saw double digits. It was an all-around team attack on the Wizards. Evan Mobley led the team with a double-double, scoring 19 points and 10 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell had 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
“That's what's going to continue to help us be the team that we want to be,” said Mitchell when asked about all his teammates in double digits. “It just goes down the line. Vert, JA, just continuously getting help throughout the entire lineup and that’s what makes us so versatile and unpredictable.”
Coming off the bench, Sam Merrill and Georges Niang each scored 14.
In his first game back after missing seven with a sprained ankle, Dean Wade was the Cavs only player with minutes to not score. However, Wade came up big on defense along with being a key piece in the rotation when Niang got in foul trouble by the end of the second quarter.
Big man Jarrett Allen went 5-6 scoring 12, while Caris Lavert was the final Cavs member in double digits, right on the money with 10 points.
Prior to his exit, Garland scored 12 points for the wine and gold.
Atkinson Earning the A - Earlier in the day head coach Kenny Atkinson earned the honors of Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games during October and November. Atkinson made history in November, becoming the first head coach in NBA history to have an undefeated record through 15 games with a new team.
To no surprise, the head coach took almost no credit for the honors, and instead pointed things back to his team saying, “this is a roster that’s talented, that has great continuity, and it’s together. That’s what it really comes down to. It’s 99 percent that and 1 percent coaching. I really believe that.”
Up Next- The Cavaliers continue on their home court on Thursday, matching up with the 10-8 Denver Nuggets. Denver struggling in ninth place in the west, while the Cavs still sit atop the Eastern Conference. Tip-off Thursday, December 5 in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse scheduled for 7:00 p.m.