NBA Picks 12/13 – Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA Picks 12/13 – Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

Friday night’s NBA slate presents a battle between the NBA’s best and worst teams as the Washington Wizards (3-19) visit the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-4) tonight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. This is the third of four meetings between the teams. Cleveland won the first two games in decisive fashion winning 135-116 at Washington on Oct. 26 and 118-87 at home on Dec. 3. Cleveland has won ten straight games against Washington. The Wizards last win in the series came on Dec. 30, 2021 in Washington. Cleveland is a 17-point favorite and the total is 232.5.

Washington is coming off a 140-112 shellacking at the hands of the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night. The Grizzlies shot 52.1% from the floor in picking up their ninth win over their last ten games. Jonas Valanciunas led the Wizards with 20 points (8-17 FG, 4-4 FT) and 14 rebounds in the loss. Marvin Bagley III chipped in with 20 points (9-15 FG, 2-2 FT), 7 rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench for Washington. 

Cleveland dropped a 122-113 decision at Miami on Sunday night. Miami guard Tyler Herro scored a game-high 34 points (10-19 FG, 5-9 3Pt) in the win. Darius Garland led Cleveland with 23 points (9-19 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT) and added five rebounds and five assists in the loss. Georges Niang amassed 15 points (5-7 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds and a steal off the bench for the Cavs. Niang was the Cavs second leading scorer.

GAME STORYLINES: WASHINGTON

The Washington Wizards experienced a moderate level of success from 2013-2020 behind the talented backcourt duo of All-Stars John Wall and Bradley Beal. Recurring injuries for both players and minimal playoff success led to the Wizards eventually jettisoning both players. Washington dealt Wall to Houston in December 2020 and Beal to Phoenix in June 2023. The Beal trade indicated a start-from-scratch rebuild and resulted in a franchise-worst 15-67 record last season.

Washington’s 15-67 record in 2023-24 landed them the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. It was their highest draft pick since 2010 when they selected John Wall with the No. 1 overall pick. Washington selected versatile and athletic 7-foot forward Alex Sarr with the second pick. 

Unfortunately for the Washington Wizards, the addition of Alex Sarr has not resulted in wins as the 2024-25 season is turning out to be a complete disaster. Sarr (10.6 pts, 6.3 rebs, 2.0 asts, 1.9 blks in 20 games) has not developed into the dominant force that some expected up to this point as he’s been overmatched offensively on most nights, but his rebounding and defense have been very good. If his offensive game continues to develop, he has the potential to be an elite player.

NBA Picks 12/13 – Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

The Washington Wizards appeared to have some hope when they started the season 2-2 after back-to-back wins against the Atlanta Hawks but everything went downhill soon afterwards as the Wizards lost 16 straight games. They did not win a game in November, winding up the month 0-14. Their average margin of defeat during the losing skid was 19.6 points per game. The Wizards snapped their 16-game losing streak by defeating the Denver Nuggets 122-113 on Dec. 7. 

Shooting guard Jordan Poole (team-leading 20.4 pts, 5.0 asts, 1.6 stls, 43.6% from 2, 40.8% from 3) and veteran center Jonas Valanciunas (12.6 pts, 8.1 rebs, 2.2 asts, 56.6% from 2) have been the two most consistent Wizards players this season. Both players could be traded to a contending team at some point during the season as the Wizards will look to secure a second straight high pick in the stacked 2025 NBA draft. 

GAME STORYLINES: CLEVELAND

After future Hall of Famer LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent for a second time in the summer of 2018, it appeared as if the Cavaliers franchise would suffer through a long stretch of losing seasons. The Cavs did post dismal records of 19-63, 19-46 and 22-50 in the three seasons post-LeBron until an unsung group of players put up a respectable 44-38 record in the 2021-22 season. 

The surprising and inspiring play of the 2021-22 Cleveland Cavaliers led management to make the bold move of trading for superstar guard Donovan Mitchell shortly before the 2022-23 season began. The then 25-year-old Mitchell had already been named an All-Star three times in his career with Utah and was expected to request a trade to and sign a long-term deal with a bigger market team such as the Knicks, 76ers or Lakers. 

Cleveland’s gamble of trading for Donovan Mitchell paid off as he produced the best seasons of his career in his first two years as a Cavalier. He’s also led the franchise to its most wins in a season (51 in 2022-23) since 2016-17 and the second round of the playoffs last season. Cleveland has not reached these heights since LeBron James was leading the team prior to his departure. Mitchell surprised a number of people when he agreed to a three-year, $150 million contract extension with the Cavs last July.

NBA Picks 12/13 – Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

With Donovan Mitchell’s contract situation no longer being an issue, the Cleveland Cavaliers began the 2024-25 season on fire starting 15-0. The 15 straight wins to start a season set a franchise record and they also became the fourth team in NBA history to start a season 15-0. The other 3 teams — 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, 1993-94 Houston Rockets and the 1948-49 Washington Capitols — made it to the NBA Finals. The 1994 Rockets were the only ones to win the title. 

Cleveland’s historic start has been guided by the continued excellence of Donovan Mitchell (23.7 pts, 4.8 rebs, 4.2 asts, 1.5 stls, 45.1% from 2, 41.1% from 3 in 24 games) along with backcourt mate Darius Garland (20.5 pts, 6.5 asts, 1 stl, 48.8% from 2, 42.3% from 3, 94.4% free throws in 24 games) and the talented frontcourt duo of power forward Evan Mobley (18.3 pts, 9.1 rebs, 1.5 blks, 1.1 stls, 55.8% from 2, 40% from 3 in 24 games) and center Jarrett Allen (13.4 pts, 10.4 rebs, 68.3% from 2 in 25 games). 

Evan Mobley’s consistency in year four has also been key to the Cavs success.  The 23-year-old power forward out of USC had been criticized for his lack of effort and poor shot selection over his first three seasons. Those issues appear to have been resolved this season as he’s putting up career highs in scoring, steals and three-point shooting while maintaining his outstanding rebounding and shot blocking numbers. 

THE PICK: CAVALIERS (-17)

Washington has been a punching bag for literally every NBA team this season. I don’t see why anything would change tonight in Cleveland. Also, Cleveland should be ready to pounce on Washington as they’ve had 5 days off since suffering a rare loss on Sunday night in Miami. Lay the Big Number and Take the Cavs!