Second Half Collapse Highlights Washington Wizards Loss vs. Cavs

The Washington Wizards closed out the three game road trip in the loss column after falling against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 121-111, on Wednesday night.

Though it marked a humbling finish, AJ Dybantsa dazzled in his NBA regular season debut after finishing with a team-high 19 points on 66.7% shooting. His 19 points marked the most by a Wizards rookie in their debut since Tom Gugliotta scored 20 points against the Charlotte Hornets during the 1992-93 season, along with tied for the fourth-most in franchise history in a rookie debut.

Dybantsa started out on fire after making his first four field goals, but his first points came just 16 seconds into the game after drawing a pair of free throws. Just like he predicted, Dybantsa's first NBA field goal came on a dunk as he ended the first quarter with nine points, the most by a rookie in a Wizards debut since at least 1996-97.

Yet Dybantsa wasn't the only one who dazzled early as the Wizards shot over 71% from the field in the first quarter and 62% in the first half. Trae Young was also able to capitalize on the pick and roll with already six assists by halftime, including one on a full-court alley-oop to Dybantsa that forced the Cavaliers to call timeout. Alex Sarr, meanwhile, combined with Dbantsa to score all 11 of the Wizards' points before tallying 18 points on 63.6% shooting.

Yet after Washington was able to take a ten point lead into halftime, the second half collapse would prove to be the ultimate takeaway from Wednesday night as the Cavaliers outscored the Wizards by 20 to cement the game.

Cleveland was able to answer with a strong third quarter that eventually set up a tie game heading into the final quarter. Miscues were part of the reason why the comeback came to fruition as the Cavaliers turned five Wizards' turnovers into seven points, but Cleveland was also able to dominate the boards the rest of the way.

The Wizards once again lost the rebounding margin, 25-11, in the second half which included six second chance points off six offensive rebounds. With Justin Champagnie sidelined, it marked a concerning reality for a Wizards' roster that has the infrastructure to be better on the glass.

The Wizards will now look to end a two game losing streak when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night in a rematch of Monday's loss. Tipoff is set for 7 PM ET.