The Washington Wizards (27-30) welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-16), the Eastern Conference’s best team, to the Verizon Center. The game gets underway at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 28 and will air on FxO and WA2.
The Wizards enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the 76ers 103-94 on Friday. John Wall was a key piece, recording his 33rd double-double this season with 23 points and 11 assists. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a bitter 99-97 loss against the Raptors on Friday. Kevin Love played well for Cleveland, recording 20 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Second-chance opportunities could be few and far between for the Wizards in this one. They rank 29th in the league in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of just 19.9%), while Cleveland is fifth-best in the NBA on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 78.5%). Moreover, the Cavaliers rank fifth in effective field goal percentage at 51.9%, whereas the poor field-goal defense of the Wizards places 26th with opponents connecting at a clip of 52.0%.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Cavaliers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 121-115 win. LeBron James put up 34 points and 10 rebounds.
The Wizards are looking to improve on their records of 27-30 Straight Up (SU) and 30-26-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 27-30 SU and 30-26-1 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Wizards, sporting the fifth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.76), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team.
Across the court, the Cavaliers head into the game with records of 25-30-2 ATS and 41-16 SU. Cleveland has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 7-3. The Cavaliers are an excellent long-range shooting team with 577 three-point shots made (10.0 per game), ranking fifth in the NBA. The Cavaliers are one of the top defensive teams on the road, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 95.5 points allowed per away game.
The Cavaliers’ win over Washington in their last clash bumped their SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. On the other hand, the Wizards hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
“Washington is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games “.
“Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington’s last 7 games “.
“Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games at home”.
“Washington is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Cleveland”.
“Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Washington’s last 17 games when playing Cleveland”.
“Washington is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
“Washington is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland”.
On average, Cleveland puts up 103.0 points per game (ranked ninth). Washington ranks 23rd in points allowed per game with 104.5.
Cleveland scores an average of 100.1 points per away game (ranked 15th). Washington ranks 23rd in points allowed per home game with 103.9.
Washington has an exceptional 17-5 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Cleveland is 11-13 when it scores under 100.
The Washington Wizards have a poor 10-25 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 30-3 when they hit triple digits.
The Wizards have an offensive rating of 103.1 (ranked 19th). The Cavaliers rank eighth for their defensive rating of 101.6.
The Washington Wizards average 99.6 possessions per game and 1.031 points per possession, while the Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions (95.3) but more points per possession (1.080).
Washington has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.6%, 10th-ranked in the NBA. Cleveland is a solid 16-9 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Washington makes an average of 23.8 assists per game (ranked sixth), while Cleveland makes 22.4 assists per game (ranked 12th).
The Washington Wizards average 3.9 blocks per game for a rank of 27th. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank lower (29th), earning 3.6 blocks each game.
The Washington Wizards rank 29th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank eighth in defensive rebounding.
Making 8.8 steals per game, Washington is ranked fifth in the NBA. Cleveland has an outstanding 17-5 record when it gives up at least 8 steals.
