The red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers are closing in on the top seed in the Eastern Conference and will try to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 14 games Thursday against the Washington Wizards.
The Cavaliers will kick off a brief two-game road trip tonight against Washington and Orlando, and are 25-12 away from the cozy confines of Quicken Loans Arena this season. The Cavs, who sport a 36-1 mark at home, are coming off Tuesday's 79-73 victory versus Detroit in which LeBron James recorded 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way.
Delonte West chipped in 12 points and six assists for the Central Division- champion Cavaliers, who have won 13 straight and own a five-game lead over Boston for the top spot in the East with eight games to play. The Cavaliers haven't lost since March at the Celtics and are closing in on home-court through the NBA finals. The Magic are six games behind the Cavs in the East.
Cleveland, which has won four in a row as the visitor, became just the sixth team in NBA history to win 16 games in one month and the first since the San Antonio Spurs during the 1995-1996 campaign. San Antonio won all 16 games in March of that season.
Washington has lost three in a row and eight of its last nine games to fall to a dismal 17-59 on the season. It will kick off a quick two-game homestand Thursday versus the Cavs and Heat, and owns a 12-26 record in DC.
The Wizards are coming off Wednesday's 112-107 setback at Memphis, as Caron Butler registered a game-high 31 points and Antawn Jamison chipped in 28 points and 10 rebounds in defeat.
Gilbert Arenas sat out for the second straight game to rest his sore knee after making his season debut on Saturday, but center Brendan Haywood (wrist) saw the court for the first time all season, posting two points and two rebounds in 24 minutes of action for the Wizards.
The Cavaliers and Wizards are playing the third of four matchups this season and will meet again on April 8 at the "Q"
. Each team has won on its home floor this season, but the Wizards have won seven of the past 12 in the series.
Cleveland has lost three straight, seven of eight and 11 of its last 13 trips to the Verizon Center.
