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Tuesday, Feb. 1 7:30pm ET
Kemp scores 28 points to lead Cavs | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Darrell Walker isn't a miracle worker. His neatly pressed blue dress shirt has COACH stitched on the front left pocket, not SAVIOR. Walker knows that turning the Washington Wizards into NBA title contenders will take time.
Maybe more than even his boss, Michael Jordan, realizes. Walker, part-owner Jordan's second choice to coach Washington, lost his debut with the Wizards on Tuesday night as Shawn Kemp scored 28 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 112-108 victory. "It's not no quick fix," Walker said. "This will take a while. Even though it was our first game I liked the effort." Wes Person, stuck in a season-long shooting slump, made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 15 points, and Danny Ferry added a season-high 18 off the bench for the Cavs. Kemp, left off the East's All-Star team, scored 26 in the second half -- 14 on free throws -- after being held to just two in a foul-plagued opening 20 minutes. He added 12 rebounds. "Shawn Kemp is a monster," Walker said. Cleveland did most of its damage from the free-throw line, finishing 33-of-47. The Cavs attempted a club record 39 free throws in the second half and made 22-of-28 in the fourth quarter. Tracy Murray led the Wizards with 23 points and rookie Richard Hamilton had a season-high 22. Rod Strickland had 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Strickland, who was never comfortable playing under Heard, detected something different about his teammates. "There was a lot more positive energy," he said. "We didn't come away with a victory but we know things are not going to change overnight here. But it was a positive game for us. We had an opportunity to win at the end." Washington, which trailed by seven with three minutes to go, closed within 108-106 with 14 seconds left. But Cavs rookie Andre Miller made two free throws and after Rod Strickland was called for traveling, Kemp made two more. Walker became the Wizards interim head coach Monday following a peculiar and confusing weekend in Washington that began when Gar Heard was fired after a win over Cleveland. Walker, who was coaching Rockford in the CBA when the Wizards called, got his second NBA head coaching job because Jordan's first choice, Golden State assistant Rod Higgins, fell through when the Wizards couldn't agree on a compensation deal with the Warriors. Jordan has told Walker his job is secure until the end of the season but that he expects the Wizards to be competitive. The Wizards were that. "I thought we came out and got after people," said Walker. "When I came in I told the guys, 'Good effort. If we play like that we'll win." Walker, known more for his defense skills as an NBA player, wasted no time in putting his imprint on the Wizards. For the first time this season, Washington went to a full-court press. The Wizards played hard for Walker but showed him all their warts by going into long offensive funks and committing careless turnovers. They finished with 21. "We have to take care of the ball much better," Walker said. "But that will come. We played really hard and right now that's all we're looking for." Walker coached just as hard as the Wizards played. He argued with referee Marc Davis in the closing seconds, telling him, "Let the players decide the game." And after the final horn, Walker went onto the court to grab Strickland, who was still arguing his walking call. Walker, who coached Toronto for 1½ seasons before quitting in 1998, would have been coaching the Rockford Lightning on Tuesday night if the Wizards hadn't called. "I walked out there just like I walked out there the last 30 CBA games," he said. "I was right at home, only a bigger arena, a bigger crowd and a few better players." Ferry came in and made his first seven shots from the floor, including two 3-pointers, and had matched his season-high of 16 points with 8:16 remaining in the first half. "It was just one of those nights when you feel good," Ferry said. "It was me in the first half and Wes in the second. You let go of the ball and you know it's going in." Game notesKemp set a club record by making 14 free throws in the second half. ... Kemp averaged 26 points in four games against the Wizards this season. ... Walker embraced Jordan's dress code ultimatum requiring the Wizards to wear at least a sport coat on road trips. He hasn't heard any complaints, either. "If your boss tells you how to dress, what are you going to do, keep wearing jeans?" he said. "All these guys have got some nice clothes." ... Washington has dropped nine straight road games. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Washington Clubhouse Cleveland Clubhouse Walker gets interim job in Wizards' merry-go-round
RECAPS Indiana 99 Boston 96
Cleveland 112
Golden State 107
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