Washington Wizards Look for First Win vs. Cleveland Since 2021

The Washington Wizards will look to pick up the second road win of the season and during the three game road trip when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Washington is coming off a humbling 110-103 road loss against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night where the Wizards were seemingly outmatched for the final three quarters. To make matters worse, the Wizards saw a key piece in the rotation exit the game in the closing minutes of the first quarter after forward Justin Champagnie had to be helped off the court after suffering a right foot injury.

The team has yet to announce an official injury timeline for Champagnie, though he is one of three inactives on the team's injury report as he, Tristan Vukcevic and Jamir Watkins.

The good news is rookie AJ Dybantsa was officially upgraded to questionable ahead of Wednesday night, marking the first time during the regular season that he has not been ruled out ahead of tipoff. Dybantsa went down with an ankle injury midway through the final preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans as head coach Brian Keefe has reiterated the rookie has remained day-to-day since.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have ruled out a trio of players on Wednesday night, including a pair of two-way signings in Khalifa Diop and Ernest Udeh Jr. Nae'Qwan Tomlin has also been ruled out due to a low back stress reaction.

After opening the regular season with a road loss against the Philadelphia 76ers in a game Cleveland led by double digits, the Cavaliers have responded with consecutive wins as they look to remain perfect inside the Rocket Arena. After taking down the Nets, 125-121, in the home opener, the Cavaliers then defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime to move to 2-1.

The Wizards will look to snap a 16-game losing streak against the Cavaliers, in addition to securing the franchise's first win in Cleveland since Nov. 10, 2021.

Washington will look to fare better on the boards than they have the last two games, though the absence of Champagnie adds a question for how head coach Brian Keefe will replace his production. They will also face a Cavaliers' roster that enters Wednesday leading the NBA with 8.7 blocks per game, posing a test for Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Deandre Ayton.

Tipoff is set for 7 PM and set to be broadcast on Monumental Sports.