Cavaliers-Wizards Preview

By BRETT HUSTON

(AP) -- Perhaps a matchup with a fellow All-Star point guard helped fuel Kyrie Irving in what was easily his best game since making his season debut. If so, he might have another one coming.

If Cleveland listens to LeBron James, Irving won't be the only one locked in.

Irving and the Cavaliers kick off a six-game road trip Wednesday night against John Wall and a Washington Wizards team that James is sizing up for some revenge.

Irving averaged 13 points and 3.4 assists while shooting 33.9 percent in his first five games back from knee surgery, but he looked much more like a three-time All-Star on Monday against one of the other two point guards who joined him on last season's Eastern Conference team. He had nine of his 25 points in the fourth quarter against Kyle Lowry and Toronto, also finishing with eight assists and six rebounds in Cleveland's 122-100 win.

"For me, it's about continuing to progress and get better for my teammates," Irving said. "And that's making plays and being decisive. When I'm able to play like that and get other guys shots and be aggressive, (that's what matters)."

James earlier Monday tweeted his support of Irving - currently ahead of Wall and Lowry in All-Star votes despite his very brief 2015-16 resume - as an East starter. After sitting out the fourth quarter, he continued to play campaign manager.

"He's special. He's that special, man. He's much better than an All-Star," James said. "If he continues to play the way he's been playing, but also progress in his game over the years, he can do something that's very special."

Wall was awfully good himself in December, averaging 22.6 points and 11.7 assists to earn East player of the month honors, but perhaps his best game in that stretch was the first. He had 35 points, 10 assists and five steals as the Wizards (15-17) led wire to wire - holding Kevin Love and Timofey Mozgov to a combined eight points - in a 97-85 road win over the Irving-less Cavaliers.

The man who has won 29 East player of the month awards still has that one fresh in his mind as Cleveland (23-9) starts its longest road trip of the season.

"We only have one back-to-back," said James, who had 24 points and nine turnovers in what remains the Cavaliers' lone home loss. "We'll see what happens. It starts in D.C., a team that beat us really good. We remember that."

Irving and Wall have faced each other nine times, with Wall's team winning five while he's averaged 20.4 points and 9.1 assists. Irving has averaged 21.8 points and 5.4 assists, and the Cavs have won two of the three he's had James for.

Washington's win in Cleveland seems to have been little more than an aberration for a team that can't find any consistency. The Wizards have followed a four-game winning streak by dropping three of four, the latest Sunday's particularly ugly 97-75 loss to Miami.

Wall and Garrett Temple shot a combined 10 of 37 for Washington, which went 4 of 29 from 3-point range and scored seven second-quarter points. It hung 114 on the Heat in early December in Miami.

"We stopped moving the ball," coach Randy Wittman said after the Wizards fell to 5-14 when they fail to total 25 assists. "As I told our guys, we're not an isolation team. When we hold the ball ... we end up taking really bad shots or we turn it over."

The Wizards had only nine players against the Heat and nine practiced Tuesday. Bradley Beal still isn't ready to return, but Gary Neal (quad) and Nene (calf) could play against the Cavs.