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Wrap-Up -- All good things must come to an end, and the new-look Cavaliers’ feel-good story following their bold deadline deals met its first road-bump on Thursday night – falling to the Wizards in their first game back in Cleveland after the All-Star break.
The Wine & Gold jumped out to a nine-point edge after the first quarter, but the Wizards – who improved to 8-2 without All-Star guard John Wall – outscored the Cavs, 35-23, in the second and pulled away late for the 110-103 victory, their first over Cleveland this season.
The Cavaliers got another excellent performance from LeBron James, who was fresh off winning his third All-Star Game MVP four nights ago in Los Angeles. However, they struggled to find a secondary offensive option in the second stanza. LeBron netted 14 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter, but he was the only starter to score in the period.
On the night, the four-time MVP went 13-of-18 from the floor, but just 5-of-9 from the stripe, missing a pair of free throws in the closing seconds that would’ve cut Washington’s lead to a single possession. But it’s hard to nitpick a game in which James led Cleveland with eight assists and two steals and nine boards.
JR Smith did most of his damage in the first quarter again, netting nine of his 15 points in the opening period. On the night, Smith, who’s now notched double-figures in six of his last seven outings, went 6-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Tristan Thompson was the only other Cavalier to net double-figures on Thursday night, barely missing his fourth double-double of the season and finishing with 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting to go with nine boards, a pair of assists and a blocked shot.
All four new Cavaliers acquired in the aforementioned Deadline deals made their Cleveland debut on Thursday, including Larry Nance Jr., who announced pregame that he would be switching to uniform No. 22, the same number that hangs in the rafters of The Q and will continue to do so as the younger Nance dons the new digit.
But like his new teammates, Nance found tougher sledding in Thursday’s contest against Washington as the Wizards snapped Cleveland’s streak of four-straight games topping the 120-point plateau.
Overall, Nance went 3-of-4 from the field, adding three boards and four fouls. George Hill went 2-for-10 with as many assists as turnovers while Jordan Clarkson and Rodney Hood each went 3-of-7 from the floor in the loss.
Swish knocked down 15 points, including three triples, in his team's loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday night in Cleveland.
First-time All-Star Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 18 points, and little-known Tomas Satoransky followed up with 17 on 6-for-7 shooting to go with eight assists and a pair of steals. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Wizards reserves with 17 points as Washington’s second unit outpaced the Wine & Gold’s – 45-34.
The Cavs shot an even 50 percent from the floor on Thursday night, but were just 8-of-35 from beyond the arc and were outrebounded, 43-36, in the loss.
Turning Point -- After a back-and-forth third quarter – one that featured five ties and 10 lead-changes – the Wine & Gold finally retook the lead, 89-88, on Kyle Korver’s three-pointer with 9:43 to play.
But the Cavaliers went cold from there, with Washington rolling off nine-straight points over the next three minutes to take an eight-point edge midway through the fourth.
The Wizards would up their advantage to 11, 104-93, with 3:44 to play. LeBron would proceed to score each of the Wine & Gold’s final 10 points, but it wasn’t enough to keep their winning streak intact after the Break.
By the Numbers – .840, .875 … J.R. Smith’s shooting percentage and three-point percentage in the first quarters of his last six games – going 21-of-25 from the floor and 14-of-16 from deep over that span.
Quotable – Larry Nance Jr., on his Quicken Loans Arena debut …
"It was fun. Honestly, the second the game started and I checked in, I didn’t even realize where (I was). It didn’t even matter anymore. I was just playing basketball and having fun. But I did obviously hear the crowd when I checked in, and honestly that was one of the coolest moments I’ve ever had in my life. It was really cool."
Up Next -- The Wine & Gold hit the road following Thursday’s loss to Washington at The Q, traveling to Memphis for the second-half of the post-All-Star back-to-back, facing the Grizzlies on Friday night. They return to Cleveland for a well-earned five-game homestand, beginning with a Sunday afternoon showdown with the Spurs. They close out the month of February next Tuesday night with a visit by the Nets and tip off March two nights later when they welcome Joel Embiid and the Sixers. Next Saturday, Mike Malone’s Nuggets make their lone appearance at The Q with Detroit wrapping up the homestand the following Monday night, March 5.