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Wizards vs. Cavaliers preview: Washington starts new era hosting Cleveland

Cleveland Cavaliers v Washington Wizards Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images

Game Info

When: Friday, February 8 at 7 pm Eastern Time
Where: Capital One Arena in Washington DC
TV: NBC Sports Washington

Injury Report

Wizards: John Wall (Out, Heel), Dwight Howard (Out, Back)

Cavaliers: Cedi Osman (Day-to-Day, Ankle), Kevin Love (Out, Toe), Tristan Thompson (Out, Foot), John Henson (Out, Wrist)

As of now, it’s unclear whether the players both teams acquired at the trade deadline — Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis, and Brandon Knight — will be available to play.

What to Watch for

Two teams in flux for very different reasons

The Wizards and Cavaliers both made moves at the deadline to clear salary and look to the future. Cleveland has known for some time they would need to make moves, but reality hit Washington suddenly after Wall’s injury setback this week.

On Friday, we’ll get our first idea of how the team plans to approach the rest of the season. Will they make one last playoff push with their new acquisitions, or will they embrace Cleveland’s approach and play their youngsters like Thomas Bryant and Troy Brown Jr. more often the rest of the season?

Cleveland has a chance to go 3-1 against Washington with a win

That’s a factual statement, folks.

A random moment in Wizards - Cavaliers history: John Wall’s free throw gets stuck on the rim