Cavs at Wizards preview and gamethread

One day after a busy trade deadline, the Cavs and Wizards both have extensive injury reports.

Fresh off the hectic trade deadline, the Cavaliers will head to the nation’s capital to take on the Wizards.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (41-10) at Washington Wizards (9-41)

Where: Capital One Arena – Washington, D.C.

When: 7:00pm EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network,

Line: Cavaliers – 17.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.

Cavs injury report: Donovan Mitchell – PROBABLE (shoulder), De’Andre Hunter – OUT (trade pending), Caris LeVert – OUT (trade pending), Georges Niang – OUT (trade pending), Sam Merrill – OUT (personal), Isaac Okoro – OUT (shoulder), Dean Wade – OUT (knee), J.T. Thor – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)

Expected Wizards starting lineup: Bub Carrington, Jordan Poole, Keshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Richaun Holmes

Wizards injury report: Kyle Kuzma – OUT (trade pending), Marvin Bagley III – OUT (trade pending), Patrick Baldiwn Jr. – OUT (trade pending), Johnny Davis – OUT (trade pending), Reggie Jackson – OUT (not with team), Sidy Cissoko – OUT (not with team), Malcolm Brogdon – OUT (foot), Alex Sarr – OUT (ankle), Saddiq Bey – OUT (ACL surgery recovery)

What to watch for

A little thin, for now

Do you see that injury report above? For both teams? Those are long lists. The Cavs alone will be without five rotation players and don’t even bother with the Wizards who barely had rotation-worthy players as it was.

Given that the Cavs should be able to swallow up the Wizards in the first half, and then rest their starters in the second half, this should be a good opportunity for the bench to get some run and stretch their legs. Ty Jerome, Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter, and maybe even Emoni Bates could see extra court time given the limited options available otherwise. Newly-acquired De’Andre Hunter is not available for tonight’s matchup.

The Wizards, who were thin already, get even thinner. Their injury report is extensive, with multiple rotation players (or would-be, if they weren’t bought out) not available. It’s going to be a lot of Anthony Gill and Justin Champagnie, coupled with a heavy dose of Jordan Poole.

Keeping Evan Mobley aggressive

After a humbling performance against Boston, Evan Mobley looked like a man on a mission against the Detroit Pistons. Mobley got anything he wanted on offense whether it be inside or out, and imposed his will physically on Detroit’s smaller frontcourt. That mentality needs to continue into another favorable matchup against an even weaker set of bigs.

The Cavs are a different team when Mobley plays with that physicality and, even if they don’t necessarily need it against a woeful Wizards team, he must keep that mindset regardless of the matchup.