CLEVELAND — AJ Dybantsa scored nine points on 3-for-3 shooting in the first quarter. Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly combined for 27 first-half points. Trae Young was dishing lobs left and right.
All was right in Wizards world as they took a 69-59 lead into halftime. Then it all changed because of — you guessed it — turnovers and rebounding issues.
The Wizards followed a one-turnover opening frame with nine across the final 36 minutes. Their rebounding struggles from Monday’s loss in Charlotte returned as Cleveland grabbed 15 offensive rebounds that generated 19 second-chance points. Washington’s 42-point first quarter matched its 42-point second half thanks to a stagnant offense.
It was déjà vu for a young Wizards squad still learning how to win close games.
“This is a very young [team] that hasn’t been put in those situations where each possession matters down the stretch,” Anthony Davis said. “Close game, when a team is making a run like they did — how do we combat those plays with great ball movement, great execution, things like that? We are not there yet, but we’ll take it as a learning experience and try to apply it the next time we’re in these situations.”
