<div align="center"></div> This game sees the 45-31 Cleveland Cavaliers take on the 39-35 Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. <div align="center"><font color="#B94056"><u>Cleveland Cavaliers</u> C Zydrunas Ilgauskas PF Drew Gooden SF LeBron James SG Aleksandar Pavlovic PG Larry Hughes</font> @ <font color="#006A8F">C Etan Thomas PF Antawn Jamison SF Jarvis Hayes SG DeShawn Stevenson PG Antonio Daniels <u>Washington Wizards</u></font></div> <u>Prediction</u> Including playoff matches, the Cavaliers and Wizards have met 17 times. The Cavs have won 8 of the games, with an average of 100.3 points per game, whilst the Wizards have won 9, with an average of 101.1 points. LeBron James averages 28.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists against the Wizards, including one triple-double and three double-doubles. The game today lacks one key figure: Gilbert Arenas, who recently suffered a torn lateral meniscus, which will keep him out for in excess of two months. With this injury, the Wizards will have to step up and fill the monumental gap left by Arenas. So long as the Cavaliers perform, however, they should be able to leave the capital victorious. <font color="#B90456">101</font>-<font color="#006A8F">94</font>
I think the Cavaliers will beat the Wizards, but they won't go out easy and get blown out. Antonio Daniels is capable of making plays for this team with the 17 assists he dished out Wednesday night. The team need to play some defense is they want a chance and they've been having trouble doing that all season. I think the loss of Arenas and Butler will ignite this team and learn to play together.
Etan Thomas is being his monsterious self in the paint. What a block on LeBron James! If he keeps getting boards and making buckets inside, he's going to have himself another 15 point, 10 board night.
The Wizards just believe they can make it without Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler right now. They're making great plays, playing physical under the basket, and frustrating the Cavaliers. As long as they keep shooting as wellas 57% in the second half and seperate themselves from the Cavaliers, I think they can win this game. When games do get close, I don't think Jamison is capable of making clutch shots, but we'll see what happens in the second half.
This team without Gilbert and Caron looks promising, but they have to be able to make free-throws the entire game, espicially when they count. Going 12-22 at the line when you're the best free-throw shooting team in the league won't help you win games at all. They need to play a lot better in the second half and keeping up with they they do in the first.
