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At 77-77, Cleveland’s Delonte West missed a 3-point attempt, and Dominic McGuire grabbed the rebound while being scratched below the left eye by James, drawing some blood. The Wizards called timeout and set up Antawn Jamison’s baseline jumper with 10.5 seconds left.
“That just gave us a sigh of relief,” Butler said.
Jamison led Washington with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while McGuire had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his first NBA double-double.
Cleveland’s next possession ended with James’ travel, and Butler added a free throw for the final margin. James fell into the courtside seats while trying a desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
How surprising is this result? The Central Division-leading Cavaliers (27-6) are neck-and-neck with the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics for the best record in the East, while the Wizards (7-25) aren’t even close to climbing out of last place. No other club in the conference has fewer than 12 victories.
And yet when these teams last played, on national TV on Dec. 25, Washington led by seven with a little more than 1½ minutes left before Cleveland closed with an 11-0 run to win.
“I was pulling for the guys to pull it through, to find a way to kind of sneak this one by them like we did the last game,” Brown said, “but it didn’t happen.”
It did not, and the Wizards noted what interim coach Ed Tapscott had written in red on the grease board in their locker room: “REDEMPTION.”
Notes: Wizards PG Gilbert Arenas played 2-on-2 for the first time Saturday as he recuperates from a third operation in 1½ years on his left knee. The Wizards won’t say when Arenas is expected to begin practicing. ... Cleveland’s previous low point total was 85, in its season-opening loss to Boston.
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