Cleveland earned its last win. Minnesota led by 10 at the half, and the Cavaliers took the 3rd quarter 36-26 to tie it. Then Donovan Mitchell scored 12 of his 26 points in the 4th quarter and overtime. Evan Mobley hit 3 threes, including the one that opened the extra period, and Anthony Edwards missed an open look to tie with 3.9 seconds left. The Cavs got outrebounded by a Rudy Gobert team and still beat a 3-0 opponent in a game that could have gone either way.
Washington's last loss looked a lot like a typical young team's game. The Wizards fell behind by 12 entering the 4th after Charlotte won the 2nd quarter 35-23, then scored 35 in the final frame and lost by 7 anyway. Miller's career-high 39 came against them. As of Tuesday, Washington has alternated wins and losses all season. It has beaten Milwaukee and Chicago and lost to Toronto and Charlotte, putting up 124 or more in the wins and stalling around 103 in the losses.
There's also a schedule angle. Washington has played 4 games in 6 days to open the year, the last 2 on the road, and Cleveland has had 3 in 5. Both teams played Monday and get Tuesday off, but the Cavaliers come home off an overtime game and the Wizards come in with a short rotation. If Dybantsa gets cleared, this is a different game. If he doesn't, Washington needs another big 4th quarter just to keep it close.
Tipoff is 7:00 PM ET on Wednesday, October 28. Watch Dybantsa's status after Tuesday's work and the update on Champagnie's foot. Those 2 reports decide whether this is a real test for Cleveland or a home game the Cavaliers should handle.