Cleveland Battles For Win In 93-89 Contest Over Wizards

Posted by Matt Loede under NBA Game Recap

Maybe it was too much Christmas ham, or too many milk and cookies.

Whatever it was, the Cleveland Cavaliers almost found themselves on the losing end at home on Christmas night to a team that they likely should have dominated, the four-win Washington Wizards. The Wizards, playing with nothing to lose, came to Quicken Loans Arena and gave LeBron James and company more than they could handle and more, and it took quite a bit for the Cavs to finally pull out a 93-89 win.

The victory puts the Cavs at 25-4 on the season and 15-0 at home. Washington drops to 4-23 on the season. Did we mention the win didn’t come easy? The Cavs pulled out an 11-0 run to end the game, as they trailed 89-82 with 1:40 left, then were able to hit some key shots and key free throws to pull out a win that still almost feels like a loss.

The comeback started with three free throws by James, a 3-pointer by Mo Williams and five more foul shots in the last 26 seconds which also included some tough defense and big rebounds. Williams led the Cavs with 24 points, and James and Delonte West had 18 apiece.

The game Wizards got 28 from Antawn Jamison, and Mike James played outstanding, putting in 26. Washington dropped their eighth straight game, and while they played the Cavs tougher than any team at the Q this season, down the stretch couldn’t put the game away even though it was theirs for the taking.

As usual when these two teams meet, there was an awful lot of talking going on, as there seemed to be a lot of back and forth all night, and James was well aware of the talking tactics of the Wizards. “They tried to take me mentally out of the game in the series and tied and tried and tried and it never worked,” he said. “Bad plan, I guess.”

At least it was a bad plan in the last 1:40, as the Cavs were able to find a way, which is what good teams do. For Cleveland, it continues to be their best start in franchise history, while for the Wizards, it is the worst start in theirs. They were without All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas (knee) and center Brendan Haywood (wrist).

The Cavs admitted that it was a step backwards despite the win, but they will have Friday to sit back and relax, as coach Mike Brown is giving the team a day off to enjoy their new Christmas toys before they get back to work on Saturday with a practice, and then Sunday host the suddenly solid Miami Heat, who at 15-12 have won three in a row and are just one game under .500 on the road at 6-7.

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