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The Washington Wizards beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-112 on Thursday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
After a heartbreaking loss against the Miami Heat in overtime on Wednesday, the Wizards certainly needed this win tonight in a back-to-back game. It was a relief to see the Wizards win a game against a team that isn't doing so well, considering their history of not winning games against teams that are struggling.
Nonetheless, the 11th seed Wizards took down the 14th seed Cavaliers in double-digit fashion. This was the second meeting against the Cavaliers, as the Wizards lost to the team at home earlier in the season. With that being said, here is an analysis of Thursday night's win.
Beal makes a statement, scores 36 points
Despite not making the starting 5 in the All-Star game, Bradley Beal put on a show tonight yet again after his firey performance against the Heat. Tonight, it was the same All-Star worthy Beal who scored 36 points and went 15-22 from the field including 4-8 from downtown with 2 rebounds and 8 assists. Beal yet again came just 2 assists shy of a double-double.
I'm sure Beal was devastated to hear that he was not selected for the starting 5, but he should be selected into the reserves again. It was certainly the year for Beal to be in the starting 5, as he started out strong and carried the Wizards for most of their wins. Hopefully, next year is his year to shine.
Bertans and Smith score 17 points each
Davis Bertans came off the bench and was hot again, scoring 17 points. He went 6-10 from the field and 4-8 from beyond the arc with 3 straight 3-point buckets. Ish Smith came off the bench as well scoring 17 points, but was not as efficient as Bertans, as he went 6-14 on field goal attempts.
Bertans has certainly solidified himself as a solid source of points off the bench. While Smith was not efficient, he can contribute from time to time. However, fans have long wanted Smith to replaced Isaiah Thomas in the starting 5, as Thomas fails to play defense and lacks consistent scoring. It would not be a surprise if the Wizards trade away Thomas for some picks or a player to help Beal and the team out.
What's next?
The Wizards continue their road-game trip and will travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on Sunday. Tune-in at 6 PM ET.
Guess the Lakers players!
