3rd Quarter Report
Only one more quarter stands between the Cavaliers and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They are way out in front with an 86-67 lead over the Wizards.
If the Cavaliers keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 19-3 in no time. On the other hand, the Wizards will have to make due with a 2-17 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Current Records: Washington 2-16, Cleveland 18-3
How To Watch
- When: Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — Cleveland, Ohio
- TV: FanDuel SN – Ohio
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $16.31
What to Know
The Cavaliers will be playing the full four quarters on Tuesday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will host the Washington Wizards at 7:00 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cavaliers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 122 points per game this season.
The Cavaliers took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Sunday. They managed a 115-111 victory over the Celtics. The win came about thanks to a strong surge starting at the 1:17 mark of the third quarter, when Cleveland was facing a 84-70 deficit.
The Cavaliers’ success was spearheaded by the efforts of Donovan Mitchell, who went 6 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 35 points plus seven rebounds and two steals, and Darius Garland, who had 22 points in addition to eight assists and five rebounds. What’s more, Mitchell also posted a 57.1% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in November.
Meanwhile, the Wizards’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their 14th straight defeat. They took a 124-114 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Bucks.
The Wizards’ loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Malcolm Brogdon, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and 11 rebounds, and Jordan Poole, who earned 31 points in addition to seven assists and two steals. Poole had some trouble finding his footing against the Clippers on Wednesday, so this was a nice turnaround.
Cleveland’s victory bumped their record up to 18-3. As for Washington, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-16.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: The Cavaliers have been crazy accurate this season, having drained 51% of their field goals per game (they’re ranked first in field goal percentage overall). It’s a different story for the Wizards, though, as they’ve only made 44.3% of theirs this season. Given the Cavaliers’ sizable advantage in that area, the Wizards will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Cavaliers took their win against the Wizards in their previous matchup back in October by a conclusive 135-116. Will the Cavaliers repeat their success, or do the Wizards have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Cleveland is a big 16-point favorite against Washington, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Cavaliers as a 15.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 234.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Cleveland has won 9 out of their last 10 games against Washington.
- Oct 26, 2024 – Cleveland 135 vs. Washington 116
- Feb 25, 2024 – Cleveland 114 vs. Washington 105
- Feb 07, 2024 – Cleveland 114 vs. Washington 106
- Jan 05, 2024 – Cleveland 114 vs. Washington 90
- Jan 03, 2024 – Cleveland 140 vs. Washington 101
- Mar 17, 2023 – Cleveland 117 vs. Washington 94
- Feb 06, 2023 – Cleveland 114 vs. Washington 91
- Oct 23, 2022 – Cleveland 117 vs. Washington 107
- Feb 26, 2022 – Cleveland 92 vs. Washington 86
- Dec 30, 2021 – Washington 110 vs. Cleveland 93
