Fresh off a dramatic win, the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to strengthen their lead atop the Eastern Conference on Friday when they travel to face the suddenly streaking Washington Wizards.
Cleveland won its fifth game in six tries on Wednesday, as Darius Garland’s 31-foot, buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave the Cavaliers a 118-115 road victory over the Detroit Pistons. Just a week after being named to his second All-Star Game, Garland has Cleveland on pace for its second-most wins in franchise history.
“It was incredible. We had a play set up and he disregarded the play and went and made a play,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said of Garland’s heroics. “It’s what great players do. They make big plays.”
Garland finished with 25 points and is averaging 21.8 points and 6.8 assists for the season. The 25-year-old is one of three Cleveland All-Stars, as Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell will join Garland for the showcase event in San Francisco on Feb. 16, along with Atkinson as the Eastern Conference’s head coach.
In what Atkinson described as “an All-Star performance,” Mobley added 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Wednesday’s win. Mobley has averaged a career-best 18.3 points per game to go along with nine rebounds. Mitchell, who leads the team with 23.8 ppg, missed just his third game of the season Wednesday, sitting with a right shoulder contusion. He is listed as probable for Friday.
As the NBA’s best and worst records collide, Cleveland will aim to win its 12th straight game against Washington — a streak that began in February 2022.
Amid another dreadful season, the Wizards have found success in February, winning their first three games of the month following a 16-game losing streak to cap January. Even more impressive, Washington’s three wins have all come on the road, improving its record away from home to 4-21.
On Wednesday, the Wizards finished with a season-high 40 assists to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 119-102, holding the Nets to a mere 12 points in the third quarter.
In an otherwise lackluster season for Washington, the play of second-year rising star Bilal Coulibaly has been on display, including Wednesday, when he recorded his first triple-double with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
“It all starts with his activity and his rebounding,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said of Coulibaly. “Some of that stuff is in transition so it’s all tied together. But it all comes from his defense and his ability to get the ball off the board and push. He did a great job of finding guys (on Wednesday).”
Coulibaly will accompany rookie teammates Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington during All-Star Weekend, with the trio selected to compete in the Rising Stars Challenge.
Adding a much-needed veteran piece to its roster, Washington traded for three-time All-Star Khris Middleton on Wednesday, acquiring the 33-year-old from the Milwaukee Bucks — along with rookie AJ Johnson and a 2028 first-round pick swap – in exchange for Washington’s second-leading scorer Kyle Kuzma (15.2 ppg), Patrick Baldwin Jr. and a 2025 first-round pick.
Middleton is averaging 12.6 points per game this season, his lowest since 2013-14. The small forward, though, has topped 20 points in three of his past four games and could provide a complement to Wizards leading scorer Jordan Poole (20.3).
