Cavs embracing early tests with revamped Wizards up next

October 27, 2026

The Cavaliers have played three games, won two and already experienced just about every emotion imaginable.

They’ve blown a huge lead, nearly blown another and rallied from 15 points down to win in overtime. And it’s still October.

Welcome to the new season.

“It’s not easy, is it?” Donovan Mitchell deadpanned when asked about protecting leads following Monday’s 127-125 overtime win over the Timberwolves.

No, Donovan. Apparently, it isn’t. But the Cavs (2-1) are finding out plenty about themselves, and coach Kenny Atkinson seems to believe that’s a good thing.

Next comes another test Wednesday, when the Wizards visit Rocket Arena for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

Washington isn’t the same old Washington, either. The Wizards feature Trae Young and Anthony Davis, and there’s a chance No. 1 overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa could make his NBA debut after missing the first four games with a sprained ankle.

Dybantsa has been upgraded to questionable, with Wizards coach Brian Keefe saying the rookie is making encouraging progress, as reported by Rookie Wire⁠.

In other words, the Cavs shouldn’t expect much of a break.

“I’ve felt like we played two and a half playoff games already, which is great, which is what the NBA wants,” Atkinson said. “There’s going to be no easy games. It’s going to be a battle. It doesn’t matter who you play. Brooklyn gave us a tussle. Minnesota is an elite team in this league. It’s just going to be that way every night. All three games we’re getting great training for pressure situations.”

Atkinson has a point. The Cavs weren’t particularly sharp in the first half against Minnesota, falling behind by 10 at the break. They eventually trailed by 15 before finding their footing.

“It was kind of the reverse of our first two games,” Atkinson said. “It’s like, well, we’re down 10 and we should have been down 20 the way we were playing. We got a little lucky, but we kept our composure.”

They also got an unexpected lift from rookie guard Meleek Thomas, who scored 16 points in 19 minutes in his NBA debut.

Thomas was confident afterward, saying he knew his opportunity would come.

“You can’t really keep a star in the closet for too long,” Thomas said. “Knew my time was going to come eventually and I knew that when it did I was going to be ready and I was just ecstatic to be out there.”

The Cavs certainly weren’t complaining.

“It started with Meleek, honestly,” Evan Mobley said. “He came out with the energy, knocking down shots, playing defense, getting steals, running the floor and everyone just hopped on the bandwagon.”

Mitchell was equally impressed.

“It’s very rare to ride the coattails of a rookie going into the half,” he said. “We didn’t have energy. We were flat. We were playing the wrong way. And for him to be the spark in his first game of the year, that’s not normal. He made the most out of his moment.”

The Cavs also got clutch baskets from Mitchell and James Harden, four 3-pointers from Mobley and a massive late block by Peyton Watson on Anthony Edwards.

Those are the types of plays contenders make. And after two games in which the Cavs had trouble protecting leads, Monday offered some reassurance.

“The roles were reversed this time,” Mobley said. “We wanted to come out and prove a point that not every game’s the same. Some games don’t go your way the first half and you’ve got to fight through all 48 minutes and figure out how to come up with a win.”

Of course, the Cavs would probably prefer not to have to rally from 15 points down. Or surrender leads of 22 and 29, as they did in their first two games.

There’s something to be said for making things a little easier on themselves. But Atkinson is right about one thing: These are lessons worth learning, particularly for a team with aspirations of reaching the NBA Finals.

And with Young, Davis and perhaps Dybantsa coming to town, the next lesson may arrive sooner than expected.