The Cavs are heading into another high-end test, and this one brings two matchups worth circling before tipoff. Cleveland’s first back-to-back of the campaign ends at home against the Wizards, and even with the schedule tightening up, the spotlight is landing on a couple of star-on-star battles that could shape the night.
The first one starts with Trae Young, who got a lot of attention this summer for the major extension he signed with Washington. Through four games, he has started to look like himself again after a year slowed by injuries.
He’s putting up 22 points and 11 assists per game, and before the Charlotte game in which he was limited to one free throw, he was getting nearly 12 attempts a night. Young’s ability to create off the bounce and stretch the floor from deep makes him a constant problem.
Donovan Mitchell will be the guard Cleveland leans on, and he does not need to turn this into a one-man shootout to matter. He came through in a big way the last time out, and the Cavs will need that same kind of edge again.
Mitchell probably won’t start the night matched up on Young, but there’s a good chance he’ll have to take that assignment at points during the game. If it turns into a straight-up duel, both guys will feel like they can win it.
Young can get to his spots off the dribble and from long range, while Mitchell’s step-through windmill move into the floater is the kind of thing a smaller defender simply cannot erase.
The other headliner is Evan Mobley against Anthony Davis, and that one has all the ingredients of a must-watch battle. Mobley came up huge in Cleveland’s last game with four made threes, including one inside the final two minutes and another in overtime. That shooting helped keep the Cavs alive and then pushed them over the top when it mattered.
Davis, meanwhile, is finally on the floor in Washington after a winding path that included only 29 appearances for the Mavericks following the Luka Doncic trade and no action after the deadline deal to the Wizards a season ago. Through his early games in D.C., he’s averaging 23 points and nine rebounds.
He has gone two games without a block, but with Alex Sarr next to him now, there’s more size around him. He also hit 3-6 from three against Charlotte, which only adds another layer to a matchup already loaded with fireworks.
Mobley and Davis both have Defensive Player of the Year credentials, and both can make plays from outside. That’s why this one stands out. There should be highlight-reel stuff on both ends.
The Cavs are trying to keep the momentum going, get Meleek Thomas some more looks, and walk out with another win. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM ET at Rocket Arena tonight.
In Other News...
Peyton Watson Is Giving The Cavs Something They May Really Need
Amid the early-season chaos around the league, Peyton Watson has given Cleveland a different kind of lift in a recent overtime win, the sort that tends to matter more when games tighten and possessions get ugly. The Cavaliers have plenty of scorers they can lean on, but Watsons value showed up in the areas that dont always make the highlight reel, with his activity helping swing momentum on both ends while the team keeps sorting out its rotation.
The offense still has a bit of a project attached to it, though, and that is the piece Cleveland will keep watching as the sample grows. Watsons size and defensive energy are already giving the Cavaliers something they can build on, but the next question is whether his shot becomes reliable enough to make him more than a situational weapon as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Win Still Exposed A Frustrating Problem Mobley And Allen Haven't Fixed
The Cavaliers got the overtime win they needed against Minnesota, but the box score still pointed to a nagging problem that has followed them at times this season. Even with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen anchoring the front line, Cleveland was hurt on the defensive glass, and the Wolves extra chances kept possessions alive in a way that made the game far harder than it should have been.
For a team built to defend at a high level, the issue goes beyond two big men doing their job. Rebounding on the defensive end has to be a full-team task, with guards and wings helping close possessions before they turn into second opportunities, and this one offered another reminder that the Cavaliers still have work to do there if they want to make wins look cleaner. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Win Just Sparked An Officiating Debate Fans Will Be Talking About
The Cavaliers overtime win over the Timberwolves is already the kind of result that gets replayed, but the NBAs Last Two Minute Report added another layer to the discussion. The league identified two officiating mistakes that worked in Clevelands favor, while also backing several other calls from the final stretch, including the non-flagrant ruling on Donovan Mitchell and a foul on Jaden McDaniels.
What stood out most was how thin the margins were late, when every whistle can reshape a games finish. The report said a key call should have gone the other way on the final possession of regulation, and it also marked an overtime foul involving Mitchell and LaMelo Ball as incorrect because the contact was deemed incidental, leaving plenty for fans to debate even after the result is in the books. [Read more 🡒]