April 25th Game Recap: Wizards vs. Cavs

Wizards Win Fifth Straight

John Wall exploded for 21 points, 13 assists, seven boards, and seven steals to lead the Wizards to their fifth straight win as they took down the Cavs, 96-85, on Wednesday night in Cleveland

The two teams played a fairly even first half, with the Wizards bringing a four point lead with them into the break.

Then, John Wall went off in the third quarter, tallying 12 points and six assists in the frame to build the Wizards a double-digit lead and put the game out of reach. This was Wall's fourth straight double-double, and his 16th of the season.

Nene and Kevin Seraphin had 12 points each, marking the 15th consecutive game Seraphin has scored in double figures.

Both James and Chris Singleton added 10 points in the win, while Jan Vesely had a team-high 12 rebounds.

Next, the Wizards go for their sixth straight when they return home for the season finale on Thursday night vs. the Miami Heat at Verizon Center (8pm).

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Highlights

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Postgame

WIZARDS GUARD JOHN WALL:

On playing against Kyrie Irving:
“It’s always good to play against somebody that good. He’s probably going to be Rookie of the Year. He’s somebody I’m really cool with. I respect his game and respect him as a person…You always want to get a chance to play against the best and he’s one of the best, young point guards. It’s always good competing against him.”

On their five-game winning streak:
“It’s just the fact that you win. I mean, it feels good to win. You can tell the whole group is having a lot more fun. It’s just something you to end the season with so you can remember how you ended last year…Playing their best guys or not, every team is still good.”

WIZARDS GUARD SHELVIN MACK:

On his game and having a consistent rotation:
“It feels real good. If you keep working hard, great things are going to come. The best thing is that we have a set rotation now. It’s kind of been a tough year, not (always) playing with the same guys each game. Over the past few games we’ve been playing with the same people so it’s easy to get a rhythm down.”

On his rookie season:
“It’s been a great year for me, personally. I’ve been able to learn a lot. I know we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but I look at is as a success. The biggest thing is getting some experience out there on the court. As a team, I felt like we kept getting better. From training camp to now, we got a lot better. We’re more of a team.”

WIZARDS HEAD COACH RANDY WITTMAN:

On the game:
“It probably wasn’t one of our cleanest wins. We didn’t shoot the ball real well, but again, we try to tell these guys that you can’t base your play on making or missing shots. In the first quarter, we kind of went through the motions a little bit. It the second quarter, we held (the Cavaliers) to 18 (points), in the third quarter we held them to 18 (again) and that’s what broke the game open for us. And it was, again, our defense that kind of ignited our things offensively. I think we had one fast-break point at the half, and we ended up with 20. That’s all fueled by what you do defensively. It’s a good thing for these guys to see.”

On John Wall’s play in the third quarter:
“I wanted us to come out with high energy and start it off defensively. We got stops right away that led us out on the break. I thought (John Wall) did a nice job of recognizing when he could get to the basket and when he needed to find the shooters out on the wing.”