Although at the beginning of the season few would have believed it, This Cavaliers-Wizards was the duel between two of the best teams at the start of the season in the NBA. The Cavs, after Ricky Rubio’s exhibition at Madison Square Garden, were looking for their first streak of five straight wins since April 2018. That is, since LeBron James left. With three days off, they would host some Wizards who keep winning and winning and winning … and winning again. 94-97 and now 8-3 for those of the capital, leading in the East (along with the Bulls). The Cavs are at 7-5. They have won games that logically they should have lost. This time they lost one that they had almost won.
The ending sequence illuminated the Wizards’ brilliant moment of a Wes Unsled Jr who’s doing a fabulous job, for now. From +10 already in the fourth quarter (80-70), the Cavs got 87-78 at the equator, after a triple by Ricky that broke a couple of minutes of drought, and they led 93-89 with thirty seconds left. But Kyle Kuzma, who had hit two 3-pointers in a row shortly before to bring the Wizards closer, made two more shots from the 3-point line. And, between the two shots, Ricky Rubio missed one of his two free throws. Total: 94-95. The Cavs generated a good shot, but Darius Garland missed a released triple, in a very good situation, and Kispert later scored the final basket, already in the last second. In a duel of positive inertia, the Wizards were stronger.
Kuzma, sent by the Lakers to Washington in the Russell Westbrook trade, has these things when he lights up: he made those four triples in the fourth quarter and six overall for 22 points. And he left a message to the Ohio public: “His fans have been to blame for this. There were some with a sign that said LeBron gave me my champion ring. Well, I told those that they wouldn’t be shit without LeBron”. Another backlash from LA, Montrezl Harrell, was decisive with 24 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. AND the Wizards won without a good showing from Spencer Dinwiddie (11 points) and Bradley Beal, who acknowledged that he played off-center after the recent death of his grandmother (13 points, 4/19 shooting). More credit for a team with excellent energy.
Ricky played well, again. He scored 20 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and handed out 5 assists. The penalty was that final free kick, which was able to avoid what was the first and final advantage of his rival in the entire second half. Without Collin Sexton (neither are Markkane and Love) He assumed scoring responsibility, this time without aiming from the outside (1/5 in triples). He heard screams of ‘Mvp‘and after the game he asked to turn the page: “We have to learn. For being so young, we have played the finals very well on other days. This time we didn’t. We conceded open triples, and that kills you in games like this. But mistakes are made, it is so. You have to see it on video, learn and move on”.
Garland, who had the victory in his hands, finished with 19 points and 4 assists. AND Evan Mobley, the inside veteran who goes for the Rookie of the Year, closed with 19 and 7 rebounds. Your partner in the new gem towers Cavs’ Jarrett Allen had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
#Kuzma #turns #Rickys #streak