Cavs Top 3: Cavaliers dispel Wizards without the need of three-point shots
By Chad Porto
![Mar 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) reacts after a foul call during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Mar 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) reacts after a foul call during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/925dbd67f2ebe56f578d970861eeb4bae97588dddfe0defd37687d700d385efd.jpg)
The Cleveland Cavaliers prove magic isn’t real after beating the Washinton Wizards.
Even without Jarrett Allen, who missed yet another game due to an eye injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to handle the Washington Wizards on Friday night. The Cavs beat the Wizards 117-94, in a contest where they were never in any real trouble. This despite the fact the Cavs shot just 21% from three, going just 4-19 on the night.
Despite that, the trio of Evan Mobley, Donoan Mitchell and Darius Garland would attack the paint, taking advantag of the Wizards lack of interior defense. While Wizards big Kristaps Porzingis did his best to keep the good guys from attacking the paint, the Wizards are just a poorly built team, especially on defense. Making Porzingis’ job all that much harder.
The Cavs also saw a pretty dynamic night out of Caris LeVert, who is stringing together some really impressive outings for the Cavs as the playoffs approach. While the Cavs three-point shooting is making fans worry, the fact that they’re getting the type of outings from guys like LeVert, Cedi Osman and Ricky Rubio recently has people optimistic about their chances in the playoffs.
The Cavs are looking at the New York Knicks in the first round, despite reports hoping they get teh Brooklyn Nets. That isn’t likely to happen. The fifth place Knicks are closer to the fourth place Cavs (3 games back) than the Cavs are to the third place 76ers (4 games back). The Cavs would need a hot streak of epic proportions to jump into third, giving them an opening round against the Nets.
Otherwise they should settle into the idea of taking on the fifth-seed Knicks to start the playoffs.
Related Story. Cavs Top 3: Caris LeVert can’t carry Cavaliers past 76ers. light
Cleveland Cavaliers Top 3 vs. the Washington Wizards
1 Point – Caris LeVert
26 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, +17 BPM
2 Points – Darius Garland
37 minutes, 24 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, +21 BPM
3 Points – Evan Mobley
36 minutes, 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, +17 BPM
Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings
- Darius Garland – 86 Points
- Donovan Mitchell –76 Points
- Evan Mobley – 61 points
- Jarrett Allen – 49 points
- Cedi Osman – 41cpoints
- Caris LeVert – 28 Points
- Isaac Okoro & Kevin Love – 20 Points
- Ricky Rubio – 5 points
- Raul Neto & Dean Wade – 4 Points
- Lamar Stevens – 3 points
Next. 3 Cleveland Cavaliers whose futures will be decided over the last 21 games. dark