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A late rally fell short in Cleveland, as the Wizards lost 116-113 to the Cavaliers to conclude their three-game road trip.
The Wizards kept the action close in the first quarter behind Trevor Ariza's 10 points. Washington managed to build a five-point lead in the early going, which proved to be the Wizards' largest lead of the game.
Cleveland jumped ahead in the second quarter and remained in the driver's seat for the majority of the game. A 3-pointer by Trevor Ariza helped slightly close the gap before the half, as the Wizards entered the break period within striking distance, down 53-47.
In the third quarter, the Cavaliers build a lead that eventually ballooned to 25 points. The start of the final quarter proved to be more of the same, as the Cavaliers stayed the course and held control. Despite the early struggles, the Wizards started to battle back late in the fourth, as they managed to cut the lead to nine points with less than two minutes left, thanks to strong efforts from the second unit.
A Troy Brown Jr. steal on an inbounds play led to two points, which cut the Cleveland lead to 115-108. A pair of Collin Sexton missed free throws gave Washington the ball back with 33.9 seconds left. A Jordan McRae 3-pointer cut the lead to four points, but the Wizards subsequently lost a chance at possession on a jump ball. However, Cedi Osman went to the foul line with 11.1 seconds remaining in the game, and the Cavaliers up 116-113, with a chance to ice the game. Osman missed both free throws, and gave the Wizards a chance to tie the game. The Wizards fed the ball to Brown Jr. with an opportunity to take the final shot, but the rookie wound up turning the ball over.
Although the Wizards were unable to secure the victory, head coach Scott Brooks said he liked what he saw from his younger role players.
"We could’ve, should’ve thrown it to TB (Troy Brown Jr.) and it was going to be some other action but it didn’t happen," Brooks said postgame. "I thought those guys earned the right being down 20 points to battle back and fight and claw. They earned the right to put us in overtime.”
The Cavaliers won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding the Wizards 48-36. Additionally, Cleveland shot 53.6 % from the field, and an efficient 44.1 % from 3-point range.
Despite the loss, Bradley Beal turned in another productive outing. Beal finished with 31 points and 7 assists, as he waits to discover whether he will be headed to this year's NBA All-Star Game.
Jordan McRae contributed 15 points, while adding a pair of 3-pointers. Gary Payton II, whom the Wizards recently signed to a 10-day contract, got his first action with the team during the fourth quarter. Payton II finished the game with 11 points and four assists. Elsewhere, Trevor Ariza added 13 points, while Otto Porter Jr. recorded 11.
McRae cited playing hard as the catalyst for the team's fourth-quarter comeback.
“We just went out there and played hard. We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary," McRae said postgame. "Everybody just played hard. Coach just told us to try and get it back within like 12 and that’s what we were trying to do and we got within three and we turned it into a game.”
Jordan Clarkson (28p) and Cedi Osman (26p) combined for 54 points on 20-31 shooting. The duo was also responsible for 10 3-pointers, which undoubtedly proved to be a large factor in Cleveland's win. Larry Nance Jr., Ante Zizic, Collin Sexton, and Matthew Dellavedova all finished with double-digit points as well.
While the loss is a disappointing one for the Wizards, Bradley Beal noted the team must move on and take things one game at a time, regardless of the opponent.
“You can’t take any team for granted. Everybody is a pro. It doesn’t matter if they’re the best team, worst team, middle of the pack," Beal said postgame. "You got to respect everybody in the league and we didn’t do that.”
The Wizards are back in action tomorrow night to host the Indiana Pacers in D.C. It will be the second meeting of the year between the two teams, with the Pacers picking up the win back in December. Tip-off is set for 8:00 P.M. on ESPN/NBCSWA.