The Cleveland Cavaliers lost for the first time in five games, dropping their matchup against the Washington Wizards, 110-103. The loss snapped the team’s 4-game winning streak after coming back from the All-Star break.
George Hill, who played well during the streak but only managed six points on 2-of-10 shooting versus the Wizards, believes the break disrupted their momentum. He was interviewed after the game where he shared his thoughts on the loss.
“I think that’s one of the worst things we had to deal with,” Hill said regarding the midseason break. “Finding that rhythm, then take 10 days off. But we can’t make excuses, we missed some great looks today, normally [ones] that we’ve been making. It just didn’t go [well] for us today.”
The Cavs had great looks throughout the game, but their shots rattled in and out of the rim on several occasions. Nearly every player on the team had a shot go in and out as the ball struggled to find the bottom of the net.
Another key factor for the Cavs was the missed free throws that led to the Wizards win. The wine and gold were 11-of-19 from the stripe with LeBron James accounting for half of those misses as he went 5-of-9 from the line. The opportunities were there for the taking, but the missed shots down the stretch were too much to make up for the poor defensive effort they displayed in this game.
The Cavs will be facing the Memphis Grizzlies next on the second night of a back-to-back game. The Cavs will be on the road as they try to make up for the miscues that plagued them Thursday night.