Game ID: 22300465
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 34 33 34 39 140WAS 31 24 20 26 101
CLE vs WAS ScoutingCLE vs WAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CLE availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 12/20, out tonight
OUT Garland missed 4 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 8 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 19 min since (111% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 19 min since (153% of 13)
CLE availability going into 12/27 · 3 days' restOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 12/20, out tonight
OUT Garland missed 5 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 9 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 19 min since (111% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 23 min since (184% of 13)
NEW Wade 20 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 11 to 17 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 4 since 12/20, returns tonight: 36 min (101% of 36)
OUT Garland missed 6 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 10 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 12/23, returns tonight: 15 min (89% of 17)
NEW Okoro 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Wade 20 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 11 to 17 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/01 · 2 days' restOUT Garland missed 7 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 11 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 36 min since (101% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 15 min since (89% of 17)
NEW Okoro 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Wade 20 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 28 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 8 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 12 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 16 min since (95% of 17)
NEW Okoro 26 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Wade 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 9 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 13 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 33 min since (91% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 20 min since (120% of 17)
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 21 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 10 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 14 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 31 min since (86% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 22 min since (129% of 17)
CLE availability going into 1/11 · 3 days' restOUT Garland missed 11 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 15 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 32 min since (90% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 22 min since (130% of 17)
CLE availability going into 1/15 · 3 days' restOUT Garland missed 12 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 16 since 12/08, out tonight
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 12/26 · 3 days' restOUT Wright missed 20 since 11/12, returns tonight: 13 min (97% of 14)
OUT Davis missed 9 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 13 min since (80% of 16)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/22 after 3, 8 min since (58% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/27 · back-to-backOUT Davis missed 10 since 12/06, returns tonight: 6 min (51% of 12)
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 10 min since (66% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 13 min since (97% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/22 after 3, 8 min since (58% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 2 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 10 min since (66% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 13 min since (97% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/22 after 3, 7 min since (53% of 13)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (51% of 12)
WAS availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 12 min since (78% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 15 min since (109% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/22 after 3, 7 min since (53% of 13)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (51% of 12)
WAS availability going into 1/03 · 2 days' restOUT Gallinari missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Butler missed 4 since 12/26, returns tonight: 9 min (62% of 14)
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 2 since 12/29, returns tonight: 5 min (42% of 12)
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 14 min since (86% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 16 min since (115% of 14)
WAS availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Gallinari missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 9 min since (62% of 14)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 17 min since (120% of 14)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (47% of 12)
NEW Muscala 14 to 20 min over the last 4
WAS availability going into 1/06 · back-to-backOUT Gallinari missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 7 min since (50% of 14)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (48% of 12)
NEW Muscala 14 to 19 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Shamet missed 2 since 1/05, returns tonight: 16 min (103% of 16)
OUT Gallinari missed 5 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 5 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Davis back 1/03 after 2, 5 min since (41% of 12)
NEW Muscala 14 to 21 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Gallinari missed 6 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 6 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 1/08 after 2, 16 min since (103% of 16)
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Davis back 1/03 after 2, 5 min since (41% of 12)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 30 from three, 18 free throws a game; Allen at 21 and LeVert at 19 a game. Without Garland (8 straight), Eva. Mobley (12 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 124, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 18 free throws a game; Kuzma at 20 and Poole at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-3 a night and Washington minus-11 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 114 a night to Washington's 124. Call it Cleveland 120, Washington 113.
12/23 @ CHI 109-95 — CLE notes
CLE won 109-95. CLE shot 44% (39 of 88) to CHI's 44%, 12 of 45 from three, and went to the line 26 times to CHI's 19 — 19 points from the stripe to their 17. The glass went 48-37 for them. Strus led with 26 (9 of 22, 5 of 17 from three); Porter Jr. added 19, Allen 19. The hinge was Q3, 25-16: a lead of 1 became 10, and the lead reached 17. Jones was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/27 @ DAL 113-110 — CLE notes
CLE won 113-110. CLE shot 43% (40 of 92) to DAL's 44%, 17 of 43 from three. CLE turned it over 16 times to DAL's 10, and DAL turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 57-37 for them. LeVert led with 29 (9 of 19, 6 of 11 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Allen added 24, Okoro 22. The hinge was Q4, 31-20: CLE came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 3. CLE trailed 54-69 at the half and won the second half 59-41. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
12/29 vs MIL 111-119 — CLE notes
CLE lost 111-119. CLE took 23 more shots (103 to 80), but shot 48% to MIL's 51%, 6 of 43 from three, and got to the line just 9 times against 20 fouls committed. CLE turned it over 8 times to MIL's 17. Mitchell led with 34 (14 of 23, 2 of 10 from three); Allen added 30, Porter Jr. 14. Q1 was theirs, 37-31, but the other 3 periods went 88-74 against them. They led by as many as 15. Allen's -12 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/01 @ TOR 121-124 — CLE notes
CLE lost 121-124. CLE shot 48% (43 of 89) to TOR's 48%, 12 of 36 from three, and got to the line 26 times to TOR's 40. LeVert led with 31 (12 of 20, 2 of 7 from three); Mitchell added 26, Allen 16. Q4 was theirs, 30-26, the deficit cut from 7 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 98-91 against them. Okoro's -17 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 vs WAS 140-101 — CLE notes
CLE won 140-101. CLE shot 53% (54 of 101) to WAS's 42%, 20 of 42 from three. The glass went 62-36 for them. Strus led with 24 (9 of 13, 6 of 8 from three); Mitchell added 22, LeVert 21. The hinge was Q3, 34-20: a lead of 12 became 26, and the lead reached 44. Strus was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
1/05 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and LeVert at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Garland (9 straight), Eva. Mobley (13 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 127, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 15 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Kispert at 14 a game. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-9 a night and Washington minus-13 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to Washington's 127. Call it Cleveland 123, Washington 111, Cleveland by 12.
1/07 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Allen at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Garland (10 straight), Eva. Mobley (14 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 24 and Vassell at 21 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Collins (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-11 a night and San Antonio minus-8 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 109 a night to San Antonio's 121. Call it Cleveland 120, San Antonio 110, Cleveland by 10.
1/11 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Allen at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Garland (11 straight), Eva. Mobley (15 straight). 3 days' rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 119, shooting 41 percent and 31 from three, 25 free throws a game; Bridges at 22 and Claxton at 15 a game. Without Simmons (30 straight), Clowney (6 straight), Wilson (2 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to Brooklyn's 119 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-8 a night and Brooklyn plus-3. Call it Cleveland 119, Brooklyn 110.
1/15 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and LeVert at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Garland (12 straight), Eva. Mobley (16 straight). 3 days' rest. Chicago comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; White at 24 and DeRozan at 23 a game. Without Craig (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-11 a night and Chicago minus-1 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 106 a night to Chicago's 116. Call it Cleveland 117, Chicago 111.
12/26 vs ORL 119-127 — WAS notes
WAS lost 119-127. WAS shot 49% (43 of 87) to ORL's 53%, 16 of 42 from three. Poole led with 30 (11 of 20, 6 of 11 from three); Jones added 22, Kuzma 17. Q4 was theirs, 31-29, the deficit cut from 10 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 98-88 against them. Poole's -18 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/27 vs TOR 102-132 — WAS notes
WAS lost 102-132. WAS shot 47% (42 of 90) to TOR's 57%, 8 of 33 from three. The glass went 34-53 against them. Kuzma led with 14 (6 of 13, 1 of 5 from three); Poole added 14, Kispert 13. Q2 was theirs, 25-28, but the other 3 periods went 104-77 against them. Kuzma's -21 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/29 vs BKN 110-104 — WAS notes
WAS won 110-104. WAS shot 51% (46 of 91) to BKN's 43%, 15 of 38 from three, and got to the line 7 times to BKN's 27. The glass went 43-54 against them. Kuzma led with 26 (11 of 22, 4 of 10 from three); Avdija added 21, Kispert 15. The hinge was Q4, 26-18: WAS came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 6. Muscala was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
12/31 vs ATL 126-130 — WAS notes
WAS lost 126-130. WAS shot 47% (46 of 98) to ATL's 49%, 17 of 53 from three, and got to the line 21 times to ATL's 37. The glass went 42-58 against them. Kuzma led with 38 (15 of 31, 7 of 18 from three); Avdija added 17, Kispert 15. Q4 was theirs, 39-30, the deficit cut from 13 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 100-87 against them. They led by as many as 13. Coulibaly's -18 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 @ CLE 101-140 — WAS notes
WAS lost 101-140. WAS shot 42% (42 of 101) to CLE's 53%, 12 of 35 from three. The glass went 36-62 against them. Kuzma led with 16 (7 of 12, 2 of 6 from three); Muscala added 12, Gafford 12. Q1 was theirs, 31-34, but the other 3 periods went 106-70 against them. Coulibaly's -24 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and LeVert at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Garland (9 straight), Eva. Mobley (13 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 127, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 15 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Kispert at 14 a game. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-9 a night and Washington minus-13 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to Washington's 127. Call it Cleveland 123, Washington 111, Cleveland by 12.
1/06 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 124, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 14 free throws a game; Kuzma at 21 and Avdija at 14 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 19 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Randle at 30 and Brunson at 25 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Robinson (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-8 a night and Washington minus-19 and the defense, New York allowing 111 a night to Washington's 124. Call it New York 120, Washington 112.
1/08 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 15 free throws a game; Kuzma at 23 and Avdija at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 15 a night. Without Shamet (2 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 118, shooting 53 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where OKC has been minus-4 a night and Washington minus-15 and the arc, OKC at 43 percent from three to Washington's 34. Call it OKC 122, Washington 115.
1/10 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 122, shooting 52 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mathurin at 21 and Haliburton at 18 a game. One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 128, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Avdija at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been minus-3 a night and Washington minus-13 and the line, where Indiana takes 26 free throws a game to Washington's 19. Call it Indiana 129, Washington 117, Indiana by 12.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
CP C. Porter Jr.
DJ D. Jones
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TT T. Thompson
WASAG A. Gill
BC B. Coulibaly
CK C. Kispert
DA D. Avdija
DG D. Gafford
DW D. Wright
EO E. Omoruyi
JB J. Butler
JD J. Davis
JP J. Poole
KK K. Kuzma
LS L. Shamet
MM M. Muscala
TJ T. Jones
CLE/WAS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Max Strus scores 24 points, Cavaliers rout Wizards 140-101
CLEVELAND -- — Max Strus scored 24 points and made his first six 3-pointers as the Cleveland Cavaliers had their highest-scoring game and most-lopsided victory of the season, routing the Washington Wizards 140-101 on Wednesday night to open a two-game set.
Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points in 24 minutes to help Cleveland snap a two-game losing streak. Caris LeVert added 21 points in 23 minutes, and Jarrett Allen had 17 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists. The teams will meet again Friday night in Cleveland.
“This is the style of basketball we wanted to play when everyone was healthy, and we're finding that rhythm now,” Allen said. “The offense runs through me a lot, and teams have to respect my ability to pass and drop off when I have the ball.”
Allen, a 6-foot-11 center who made the East All-Star team two years ago, is averaging 21.2 points, 16.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists over the last five games.
“Jarrett has been phenomenal, he's been a workhorse for the last couple of weeks,” Strus said. “We've got to keep relying on him and keep it going.”
Kyle Kuzma scored 16 points for Washington, which is allowing a league-high 126.6 points. The Wizards, with the third-worst record in the NBA at 6-27, haven’t won consecutive games since Feb. 28-March 2, 2023.
Daniel Gafford , Mike Muscala and Corey Kispert each added 12 points.
Cleveland had 62-36 rebounding edge, with Tristan Thompson grabbing nine and Georges Niang having eight boards and 15 points off the bench. The Cavaliers shot 53.5% and made 20 3-pointers in 42 attempts.
“They got it done on all levels; on the glass, in the paint, they made 20 3s,” Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “I didn't think we brought the requisite amount of physicality. Rebounding is a mindset and that's got to be a priority for us."
The Cavaliers are 6-3 since learning they will be without point guard Darius Garland (broken jaw) and power forward Evan Mobley (left knee surgery) until February. They made just 18 of 79 3-pointers in their previous two games, but had Strus, Mitchell, LeVert, Niang and Sam Merrill all sink at least three in the win.
“We're trying to play more of the analytics game, since we are down bodies,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “They say you have to find a way to be aggressive and shoot as many 3s as you can. That's what we're doing because we've got guys who can make them.”
There were 14 lead changes in the first 10 minutes, and neither team held a double-digit advantage until Mitchell beat the halftime buzzer with a 3-pointer that put Cleveland up 67-55. Strus had 21 points and made all five of his 3s in the half.
“We’ve been playing with more pace and space on the floor lately,” Strus said. “It’s fun to play like that, sharing the basketball the way we are.”