Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored 26 points, Tyrese Proctor added 22 off the bench, and the Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up the regular season with a 130-117 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards. With nearly every starter sitting out the finale to prepare for the postseason, Cleveland’s bench and G League players paced the team to its 52nd win.
Jamir Watkins, Bub Carrington, and former Cleveland Charge guard Sharife Cooper all scored over 20 points for the Wizards, who end another pitiful season on a 10-game losing streak. They have the worst record in the NBA, securing yet another high lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
For the Cavs, who had already secured home court for at least the first round of the playoffs, the stakes were relatively low — but not completely zero. Jaylon Tyson, who figures to have a prominent role in the playoff rotation, had 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 6-16 shooting. The stat line wasn’t as important as what was seen on court, which was a confident player. Tyson had missed time with an injury, so to hit some threes and see the ball go through the net is important for a young player’s mentality.
MIP HIM! JT is 4th in the NBA with a 44.7 3PT% this season. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/MF2nK5GOKK
Max Strus had 10 points in his final tune-up before the playoffs, where he too will be relied upon for wing minutes in the postseason. Strus has had big games and several clunkers since his return from a broken foot, and tonight’s effort would fall squarely in the middle tier. In 17 minutes, he had 10 points and five rebounds on 4-9 shooting (1-6 from deep).
The rest of this game can be chalked up to evaluating how the young talent looked in regular minutes. Tyrese Proctor did not disappoint with a near triple-double, pouring in 22 points, 11 rebounds (which led the team), and eight assists in 34 minutes of court time. He also drilled half of his three-point attempts, which is good to see, but he had seven turnovers, which is expected and part of being a young point guard. Overall, it was a good game for the former Duke Blue Devil, who has had flashes all season. Just not consistent minutes.
Riley Minix, Olivier Sarr (whose brother Alex plays for Washington), and Tristan Enaruna represent the G League guys, and they played with the typical intensity and effort that is expected of players trying to make it in the NBA. They all scored in double figures, combined for six steals, and were positives when on the court. The Cavs pride themselves on being a good pipeline of talent from the G League to The Association, and there was plenty of that on display tonight.
The Cavs would never say they have nothing to play for, but this game was as close to that label as possible. They have the four-seed locked up and will officially be playing the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. The good news is they do maintain home court advantage. The bad news is they have not beaten the Raptors this season, but the postseason is a different ballgame. Oh, and the Cavs did not have James Harden in any of those games.