NBA: Washington Wizards Put Road Record on the Line against Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers broke their NBA-record losing streak Friday night in an overtime victory against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Washington Wizards are still riding a 25-game road losing streak this season, which does not include the road loss they tallied to close last season.

No matter the case, the Wizards have yet to win on the road this season and face an important test this Sunday.

Washington will travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers, who are coming off their first win in 26 tries, hoping they can break a streak of their own.

Statistically-speaking, the Wizards have almost every advantage going into this game.

Washington scores more points per game (96.7) and allows fewer points per game (102.9) than Cleveland, while averaging more steals (8.2), blocks (6.0) and rebounds (40.3) per game. Cleveland only averages 94.8 points per game, while allowing 105.9 points per game, and also averages 6.8 steals, 4.2 blocks and 39.7 rebounds per game.

But statistics mean nothing with the Wizards winless on the road and the Cavs fresh off of a big, burden-easing victory.

It is easy to assume the Wizards will run away with this game because they are more than capable of doing so. Nick Young has become a consistent and dynamic scorer after failing to impress with any regularity the first three years of his career. Andray Blatche and Rashard Lewis can always be counted on for 12-15 points per night each, with the capacity for much more.

The game will likely come down to how well John Wall plays, which, while good, has been subject to rookie inconsistency.

Wall has scored double figures in all but one of the Wizards' last 10 games.

However, he has had some rough shooting nights, including one 2-for-10 game and another 5-for-19 night, both games on the road. Wall has seen his scoring average drop each month since the start of the season, and without a solid performance Sunday, the Wizards will have more difficulty winning in hostile territory.

It will ultimately come down to who makes fewer mistakes, and with Cleveland and Washington involved, there are bound to be plenty of mistakes.

The Wizards average 15.5 turnovers per game, while Cleveland averages 14.1 per game. Washington makes up for it by being fifth in the league in steals per game and third in the league in blocks. Cleveland is near the bottom of the league in both categories.

But what do numbers mean when the game is on the line?

Washington has no room for error heading into Cleveland. The first win is always the hardest, so things only get easier if they can win Sunday. It should comfort the Wizards to know that being just .500 on the road would put them at 26-25 and well within the tightening playoff race.

Little consolation for a young team still learning to win though.