AJ Dybantsa is available and the No. 1 pick makes his NBA debut tonight (Shams Charania). Washington needs a bounce-back after Brandon Miller's 39 sank them in Charlotte, and Cleveland is coming off an overtime win.
Charlotte led 98-84 with 5:15 left. Washington hit five threes down the stretch and got within 103-100 with 1:13 to go, but couldn't finish it (AP recap).
Brandon Miller scored 39, including 27 in the middle two quarters. Moussa Diabaté grabbed 17 rebounds (11 offensive) and Charlotte won the glass 54-41, with 20 offensive boards to Washington's 10.
Anthony Davis had 29 points and 10 rebounds on 11-of-22 shooting. Trae Young had 22 points and 10 assists, and Kyshawn George added 20 on 8-of-14. The Wizards shot 9 of 28 from three.
The No. 1 overall pick has missed the first four games after spraining his left ankle in the preseason finale on Oct. 16 (Josh Robbins). The league's 4 PM report now lists him available, and Josh Robbins says he'll debut 16 years to the day after John Wall's regular-season debut (preview).
The Cavs beat Minnesota 127-125 in overtime Monday despite 47 from Anthony Edwards. Donovan Mitchell had 26 (five in OT), James Harden 19 and Evan Mobley 18. Cleveland lost its opener at Philadelphia, then beat Brooklyn and Minnesota at home.
| Team | Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | AJ Dybantsa | AVAILABLE | Left ankle sprain |
| WAS | Justin Champagnie | OUT | Right foot fracture (surgery Oct. 28) |
| WAS | Tristan Vukčević | OUT | Left hip impingement |
| WAS | Jamir Watkins | OUT | Left ACL repair/surgery |
| CLE | Nae'Qwan Tomlin | OUT | Low back stress reaction |
| CLE | Khalifa Diop | OUT | G League assignment |
| CLE | Ernest Udeh Jr. | OUT | G League two-way |
Charlotte out-rebounded Washington 54-41 and got 20 offensive boards. Mobley is averaging 9.3 rebounds a game (ESPN), and the Wizards are also without Champagnie, their rebounding glue guy.
Mitchell is averaging 26.7 points and Harden 7.0 assists (ESPN). Locked On Wizards asked the right question: who guards them? (post)
Washington went 9 of 28 from deep in Charlotte. Finberg called it "more missed threes" turning a winnable game into a loss (post).
Davis was the best player on the floor Monday with 29 and 10, and he's averaging 22.8 and 9.2 (ESPN).
Trae runs the show. He's averaging 11 assists through four games (ESPN) and had 10 in Charlotte. With Dybantsa available, Trae gets a new weapon to set up.
Cleveland's backcourt. Mitchell hit the go-ahead fadeaway with 48 seconds left in OT on Monday, and Harden tied it late in regulation (AP).
AJ Dybantsa makes his NBA debut tonight in Cleveland! What do you expect to see tonight from Dybantsa in his 1st game for the Wizards? #ForTheDistrict
Update: AJ Dybantsa has been upgraded to available for tonight's matchup.
The Wizards have lost 16 consecutive regular-season games to the Cavaliers, a streak that started on Feb. 26, 2021. What better opportunity to prove they’re not the “same old Wizards” than to end that losing streak …
AJ Dybantsa on Threads: “It’s time.”
Wizards wing Justin Champagnie underwent surgery today to repair a fracture in his right foot, @TheAthleticNBA has learned. The Wizards are hoping that Champagnie will be able to return by the All-Star break.
Not ideal. Champagnie had played so well. Was a +36 through Washington’s first three games
Huge blow for the Wiz.
📻 Grant & Danny on 106.7 The Fan had "AJ Dybantsa to Debut Tonight @ CLE" atop Wednesday's rundown (post).
The books have Cleveland by double digits at home, and Washington just lost the rebounding battle badly without Champagnie for most of the night. But the Cavs went to overtime Monday and fly to Atlanta right after this one. If the Wizards win the glass and make their open threes, they can hang around.
Our gut: Cavs win, Wizards cover. Pure vibes; there's no model behind it. And with Dybantsa debuting, nobody in DC will care about the score anyway.
📚 Previous issues: Mon Oct 26: Wizards at Hornets · Sat Oct 24: Wizards at Bulls · Fri Oct 23: Raptors at Wizards