Many were worried about the inconsistent play of the Washington Wizards defense after just squeaking by the woeful Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. With the prospect of the defending Eastern Conference champions coming into town, head coach Randy Wittman knew “we’re not going to outscore them.” In the middle of a three game in four day stretch, Cavaliers coach Ty Lue announced that LeBron James (rest) would not play against Washington. The Wizards had played the undermanned Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls after the all-star break without any success and knew they had to take care of business at the Phone Booth. Led by John Wall (21p, 13a) and Otto Porter (21p, 5r), Washington controlled the game after an early hiccup on their way to a 113-99 victory,
Washington quickly fell in a 15-8 hole, but they responded with a 22-8 run to turn a seven point deficit into a seven point advantage. John Wall was getting his teammates involved with five first quarter assists, while the Wizards received an extra boost off their bench with 15 points in the first twelve minutes of play. After Cleveland got off to a good start shooting the basketball, they finished the quarter just 9 of 23 (39.1 percent), which allowed Washington to hold a 35-28 lead.