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Wednesday, Dec. 29 7:30pm ET
Kemp's 35 points overwhelm Wizards | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CLEVELAND (AP) -- It's not even New Year's yet and there's at least one clock already out of whack. Shawn Kemp scored 35 points and Cleveland survived a clock malfunction in the closing seconds to snap a seven-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 96-94 victory over Washington. "I wish somebody could explain it to me because the referees didn't," Cavs coach Randy Wittman said of the clock problem that gave the Wizards a few extra seconds and a chance to win. "It's the new millennium wave we're in." Kemp, who pledged earlier in the week to play more aggressively from start to finish, did just that as the Cavs won for the first time since Dec. 14. However, Kemp spent the last 18 seconds in the locker room after getting elbowed in the mouth by Washington's Jahidi White. Kemp got three stitches in his upper lip and had two teeth loosened by Washington's 290-pound big man. "He lost a little bit of everything," Wittman said. Teeth, however, were all the Cavs lost. After Cleveland's Lamond Murray missed two free throws that would have iced it, Mitch Richmond miss a 3-pointer with one second left that would have given the Wizards the win. "It looked like it had a chance," said Cavs guard Bob Sura. "We obviously needed the win but we can't be too happy. It's not like we beat the Lakers." Tracy Murray's 3-pointer with 28 seconds remaining brought Washington within 96-94, and as Cleveland brought the ball upcourt, the game clock suddenly froze for several seconds showing 18.5 seconds left. Wittman screamed to the officials to fix it, but by the time they noticed a problem, Cleveland's Mark Bryant was stripped of the ball and Washington's Rod Strickland missed a layup at the other end. "The game should be over," Wittman shouted. Later, Wittman guessed the problem could have been caused by the belt-pack transmitters referees are wearing this season to control the clock. "Luckily, it didn't cost us," Wittman said. "We have to look into why the thing stopped. I think it gave them an extra shot at tying the game and winning it when it should have been over." Murray was then fouled and missed two free throws with 6.2 seconds left, and Washington called timeout with 5.7 seconds to go. Richmond took the inbounds pass and missed a long 3-pointer from above the top of the key. "We wanted to get the ball in Mitch's hands and we told him to take whatever was there," Wizards coach Gar Heard said. "I would give him that shot every time. Most of the time he's going to make it for you." The scoreboard operator couldn't explain what made the clock stop, and Cavs general manager Jim Paxson came onto the floor after the game to ask the referees what happened. Murray added 15 points, Andrew DeClercq had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and rookie guard Andre Miller had 12 points and eight assists for the Cavs. But it was Kemp, criticized for being out of shape and shooting poorly this season, who carried Cleveland. Kemp vowed to make up for a dismal 2-for-14 shooting performance in a loss to Toronto on Saturday night and scored 15 points in the first 9:23 of the first quarter. "He played with energy like he told you guys he would," Wittman said. "I told him it's not the 35 points he needs to do every night, but he needs to play with that energy every night." Strickland had 20 points, White 16 and Richmond 13 for the Wizards, who nearly became the fifth straight team to overcome an eight-point deficit to beat the Cavs. Michael Smith added 12 points and 14 rebounds. Game notesCavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas will likely begin individual workouts this week after tests on his broken left foot showed continuing improvement. Wittman said the team was awaiting word from Dr. Thomas Clanton, a Houston foot specialist, before proceeding with the 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas' rehab program. ... Mark Hendrickson, signed by the Cavs on Monday, needed six stitches after being elbowed by Bryant during his second practice with his new team. ... Richmond needs two points to pass Isiah Thomas for 35th place on the NBA's career scoring list. ... Cleveland Browns coach Chris Palmer, whose team finished its season last Sunday, attended the game. ... The Cavs wore black sneakers and black socks to try and snap their losing skid. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Washington Clubhouse Cleveland Clubhouse RECAPS Indiana 116 Atlanta 89
Cleveland 96
Philadelphia 97
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