(Photo Credit: Nick Wass/Associated Press)
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Washington Wizards, 110-93, in the team’s first game since losing Ricky Rubio to a season-ending ACL tear on Tuesday.
The Cavs trailed for the rest of the game after Wizards’ forward Kyle Kuzma hit a layup with 3:52 left in the second quarter – two of his 25 points. Guard Bradley Beal had a game-high 29 points for the Wizards. The Cavs were outscored 33-21 in the third quarter and trailed by as many as 21 points.
For the second straight game, Kevin Love scored 24 points on seven field goals, and Evan Mobley added 21 points – his second straight game with at least 20. Kevin Pangos had a team-high six assists in his first NBA start at point guard. Other point guards were not available: Collin Sexton is out for the season with an injury, and Darius Garland is in health and safety protocols.
This is the Cavs’ first two-game losing streak since December 5-6, but they have now lost three straight road games after a 10-5 start away from Rocket Mortgage Field House. At 20-15 the Cavs will host the Atlanta Hawks (15-19) tonight at 7:30 PM for the final game of the calendar year. It will also be the first of a three-game homestand; they will host the Indiana Pacers (14-21) on Sunday at 6:00 PM, and the Memphis Grizzlies (22-14) on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.