Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards: Game preview, start time, TV information

The Cleveland Cavaliers look to get their first win of the preseason as they travel to Washington to take on the Wizards.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards

When: 3 p.m.

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

Enemy Blog: Bullets Forever

TV: NBA TV

Cavs injuries: LeBron James (OUT - ankle), Iman Shumpert (OUT - left foot), Cedi Osman (OUT - back), Isaiah Thomas (OUT - hip). , Derrick Rose, (Rest, Out), Dwyane Wade, (Rest, Out), JR Smith, (Rest, Out), Jae Crowder, (Rest, Out), Kevin Love, (Rest, Out), Tristan Thompson, (Rest, Out)

Wizards injuries: Markieff Morris (OUT), Tim Frazier (Game time decision)

Three keys to the game

• The Cavs record in the preseason is 0-2, however the play of their starting unit has been impressive. The number of Cavs players that are capable of playing intelligent basketball has skyrocketed compared to last season. Without LeBron James or Isaiah Thomas the team has managed to run an exciting and effective offense. If they can continue that against a better starting unit in Washington, with almost everybody sitting, that would be a great sign for the team moving forward. Also a bit of a surprise.
• The battle between Richard Jefferson and Jose Calderon for who gets the Cavs last roster spot is probably the only storyline worth monitoring from a Cavs perspective today. Both are in the starting lineup with everybody resting, so it’ll be interesting to see which looks like a more valuable contributor on the court.
• Jeff Green unleashed. Uncle Jeff is going to get a bunch of shots as he and Kyle Korver are likely the best players starting for the Cavs today. He has looked good in flashes so far this preseason, so it’ll be worth watching to see if that continues with a roster that resembles what he had in Orlando last season.

Key Matchup

.Jeff Green vs. Jason Smith. It’s preseason and this will be hilarious.

Fear the Sword’s Fearless Prediction

If Washington doesn’t come out swinging, I would be surprised. They have most of their starting unit playing in this game against the Cavs third string players. It should be an easy win for them, so I’ll say Washington wins 106-92.