The Eastern Conference’s top team will be at home when the Cleveland Cavaliers (42-17) welcome the Washington Wizards (30-30) to the Quicken Loans Arena. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 4 and can be seen on ESP, FxO and WA2.
The Cavaliers come into this game on a high note after beating the Pacers 100-96 on Monday. LeBron James was the game’s high scorer with 33 points on 14-for-22 shooting. The Wizards, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-98 win over the Timberwolves on Wednesday. Bradley Beal led the game in scoring by accumulating 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting.
John Wall has been hot over the last five games for the Wizards, averaging 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.8 three-pointers.
The Wizards may not find many second-chance opportunities in this matchup. They’re ranked 29th in the league in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 20.0%), whereas Cleveland is fifth-best in the NBA on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 78.5%).
The Wizards have won two out of three against the Cavaliers this season, including a 113-99 win the last time these two teams met. Wall put up 21 points and 13 assists.
The Cavaliers enter the game with records of 42-17 Straight Up (SU) and 25-32-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 42-17 SU and 25-32-2 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Cleveland is excellent from the perimeter with 595 three-pointers made (10.0 per game), the fifth-most in the league.
On the other side, Washington has a SU record of 30-30 and an ATS record of 32-27-1. Against the Eastern Conference, Washington is 30-30 SU and 32-27-1 ATS.
Washington won the last meeting this season between these two teams, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over the last 10 games. On the other hand, the Wizards lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
Washington averages 103.0 points per game (ranked ninth). However, Cleveland has allowed an average of just 97.2 points per game (ranked third).
Washington ranks 11th in points per away game with 101.6 points, while Cleveland ranks sixth in points allowed at home with 98.2.
Washington has a stellar 19-5 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Cleveland is 11-14 when it scores under 100.
The Washington Wizards have a losing 11-25 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 31-3 when they hit the century mark.
The Wizards have an offensive rating of 103.3 (ranked 17th), while the Cavaliers rank ninth for their defensive rating of 101.9.
Cleveland has an average field goal percentage of 45.7% (ranked ninth). Washington is a subpar 13-20 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Cleveland Cavaliers rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (fifth) than they do for their field goal percentage (ninth). The Washington Wizards rank 10th for both their FG% and EFF%.
On average, the Washington Wizards make 23.9 assists per game and the Cleveland Cavaliers make 22.3. Washington is ranked sixth, while Cleveland is ranked 12th.
The Washington Wizards are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 40.7 per game. Ranked eighth, the Cleveland Cavaliers average 44.7 rebounds.
The Washington Wizards rank 29th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 10th in defensive rebounding.
Washington is among the best in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.7% (ranked fifth). Cleveland has a 10-7 record SU when its TOV% reaches 15.7% or greater.
