Cavs vs. Wizards halftime dribbles

Random dribbles from halftime of the Cavs’ home game against the Wizards. Washington leads, 69-59.

1. The Wizards had more dunks in the first quarter-and-a-half than I’ve seen in entire games. And I’m talking about 20 years of doing this.

2. With the exception of Trae Young and Khris Middleton, Washington’s entire roster is basically made up of high-flyers. (And Young brings a bunch of other skills.) Needless to say, the Cavs are struggling to contain the Wizards near the rim.

3. That said, a few stops here and there, and the Cavs are probably winning. But aside from a couple of Jarrett Allen monster swats, I’ve seen no evidence that the Cavs can get those stops.

4. Basically, these aren’t the same old Wizards. Young, Anthony Davis and No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa give them some real reasons to believe. They’re incredibly athletic and long.

5. How do you counter that? By playing physical, putting a body on people and challenging shots. Oh, and not continuously get beat on backdoor lobs.

6. I thought the Cavs did a better job of that (at least for a couple minutes) toward the end of the half.

7. Offense is not a problem. Peyton Watson is having a nice night in that department with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. James Harden, on the other hand, is struggling (2-of-10). Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell has attempted just five shots, with two coming in the final minute of the second quarter.

8. Anyway, it’s been much too easy for the Wizards to get easy shots at the basket. Somehow, someway, the Cavs will need to contain that.