April 2nd, 2011 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in
Washington Wizards power forward Andray Blatche (#7) takes a shot against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Luke Harangody (#44).
With a roster that has recently resembled a MASH unit, the Washington Wizards were not only short-handed, but had a lack of energy that is typical of NBA teams in similar situations.
Josh Howard, Rashard Lewis and Nick young are out with different maladies, while John Wall is serving a suspension, so being short-handed is a generous term in this instance.
Despite those problems, the Wizards had a game to play Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Verizon Center.
What they did not count on was the performances of Javale McGee and seldom-used Jordan Crawford – not to be confused with Jamal Crawford of the Atlanta Hawks.
McGee and Andray Blatche combined to score 61 while Crawford joined Wall as the only players on one team in NBA history to rack up triple-doubles in the same season; these efforts would prove huge as Washington poured it on in the fourth quarter, defeating Cleveland 115-107.
Blatche had 22 points and 12 rebounds – 11 board on the offensive end – as Cleveland held a 57-52 lead at the intermission.
The Cavaliers closed ot within 83-82 after three quarters of play, but the Wizards ran off 11 straight points early in the fourth quarter for a 96-84 lead; Cleveland would not mount a serious challenge after that point.
Blatche tied a career high as he led the Wizards with 36 points, along with a career-high 19 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block while McGee added 25 with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Crawford notched his first career triple-double, scoring 21 with 10 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 blocks.
The Cavaliers were led by Ramon Sessions, who came off the bench to score 26 points, along with 2 rebounds and an assist while J.J. Hickson added 21 with 10 rebounds and 2 assists.
Both teams return to action on Sunday as Washington (19-56) flies south to Charlotte to take on the Bobcats while Cleveland (15-60) makes the short trip to New York to face the Knicks.
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