Game Summary
The Wine & Gold take a trip to the nation’s capital to square off with the Washington Wizards for the first of four regular season matchups. Tipoff is at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Over the last five games, Cleveland (5-5) is shooting a combined .445 (57-128) from the three-point line. On the season, the team is shooting .396 (90-227) from deep, which is the 4th-highest in the NBA.
Through the first 10 games of 2014-15, the Wine and Gold rank 5th in the NBA in scoring at 105.0 points per game.
Washington (7-3) had allowed 96.8 points per game in opening 4-0 at the Verizon Center before losing to the Dallas Mavericks, 105-102, in their most recent matchup on Wednesday.</p
In that game, Wizards shooting guard, Bradley Beal, made his season debut and scored 21 points on 9-of-17 from the field in 26 minutes of play off of the bench. Veteran small forward, Paul Pierce, tied a season-high with 17 points on 6-of-10 from the floor.
BROADCAST INFO
TV: FOX Sports Ohio, ESPN
Where to Watch | Programming Note
RADIO: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron) Cavaliers Radio Network
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Get everything you need to know about tonight's matchup. Game Notes
Probable Starters/Status Update*presented by Cleveland Clinic
Status Update: Matthew Dellavedova, (Left Knee MCL Sprain, Out)
Wizards: PG - John Wall, SG - Garrett Temple, SF - Paul Pierce PF - Nene, C - Marcin Gortat
Status Update: (Wizards) - Martell Webster, (Back Surgery, Out)
*Subject to change
Joe G's Three Keys
Making Their Point – Friday’s matchup features two of the top point guards in the Eastern Conference – former No. 1 overall picks, Kyrie Irving and John Wall. They’ve already had some great battles and Friday night should be no different. Kyrie averaged 26.8 ppg in four contests against the Wizards last year, including a 41-point effort in an OT win at the Verizon Center. John Wall averaged 19.3 points and 10.3 assists in four games versus Cleveland last season. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top on Friday night.
2. Home Sweet Home – Before dropping a 105-102 decision to the Mavericks, the Wizards had run off four straight wins to start the season at the Verizon Center. Before an April win in 2013, the Cavs had dropped 12 of 15 games in D.C. But they’re currently on a four-game win streak in the nation’s capital. The Cavaliers will look to keep that streak alive when they roll in on Friday night. With LeBron back with the Cavs, it’ll bring back memories of the nasty playoff rivalry from his first stint with the Wine and Gold. The joint should be jumping.
3. Rivalry Renewed – LeBron James and Paul Pierce have been battling it out in the East for over a decade now and the next chapter in the battle goes down tonight. Pierce spoke about the rivalry this week, saying: “It's just something about great players when they play in certain arenas or against other great players. They elevate their play. LeBron is one of those guys. He feels the moment. He understands the moment. And this could be a moment tomorrow.” Like the backcourt battle, this promises to be a fun and, at times, contentious matchup. And the winner of it more often than not dictates who wins the game.
Head-to-Head Matchup
The Cavs trail the all-time series against the Wizards 94-105 (59-40 Home, 35-64 Road).
The two teams split last year’s season series, 2-2, but the Cavs have won four straight games over the Wizards at the Verizon Center.
Where to Catch the Action
TV: FOX Sports Ohio, ESPN, Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron)
For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike, @chones22 and @ElalcaldeRafa on Twitter.
Programming Note: Tonight, FOX Sports Ohio is airing the Blue Jackets – Bruins game (7:00pm) and the Cavs – Wizards game (8:00pm). More Info | View Conflict Schedule
On Deck
After tonight’s game, the Wine & Gold will travel back to Cleveland tomorrow night to take on the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. at The Q.