Getty John Wall
John Wall is reportedly feeling under the weather today, though he arrived in Cleveland with the Wizards in preparation of their matchup tonight.
The team tweeted that Wall is expected to play tonight, but Washington Post reporter Candace Buckner tweeted that he did not participate in the team’s shootaround:
John Wall is in Cleveland with the team but he’s back at the hotel & did not participate in shootaround. He’s under the weather and is a gametime decision, per Coach Scott Brooks.
It’s unclear exactly what kind of sickness Wall is dealing with, though it’s likely not serious if the team hasn’t 100% ruled him out. The team is on the up-and-up though, after a rough early season where even the body language of the players made it obvious that nobody was having a good time. They’ve won three straight and are looking for a fourth on this next game of their current four-game road trip, but you never quite know what to expect with this year’s Cavs team.
The Cavs haven’t won since their narrow win over the Nets on Monday, after which they got blown out by the Warriors and then the Kings. They’ve proven their ability to surprise, though, and they’ve put up a few fights this season against teams that should have stomped them. With the Wizards still in their fragile state, this could be anyone’s game.
Wizards Lineup if John Wall is Out
That being said, if John Wall is too sick to play tonight it’ll be a major blow for the momentum-gaining Wizards. Wall is averaging 21.2 points per game along with 8.4 assists, and is a key part of this Wizards team as he runs the point position. Without him in the lineup the team could hit a few kinks. It didn’t seem to faze them against the Hawks on Wednesday though, whom they blew out by 14 points.
If Wall stays away from the court tonight, here’s what the Wizards could be working with for their starting lineup:
PG: Austin Rivers
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Otto Porter, Jr.
PF: Tomas Satoransky
C: Thomas Bryant
Rivers was a solid stand-in for Wall on Wednesday, and had a near double-double with 9 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. Kelly Oubre, Jr. came off the bench with 19 points, and Markieff Morris contributed 12 in the overall team win.
Like some of the other previously-struggling teams in the NBA, the Wizards may be figuring out how to get some wins. We’ll see if they can get their fourth in a row tonight. The two teams will face off at 6:30 pm CST.