Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff On Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole

Coach Bickerstaff complimented Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole after the Cavaliers were able to win a competitive match-up with the Wizards

Candi Waller | Feb 26, 2024

Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff On Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole /

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With Jordan Poole’s newfound role coming off the bench, the Wizards found themselves in a competitive matchup in front of their home crowd Sunday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Wizards had three key players, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert, and Bilal Coulibaly out but were still able to put up some gutsy play for the game duration.

Below is a quote from Cavaliers Head Coach JB Bickerstaff during his postgame press conference on the Wizards and specifically Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole’s play last night.

“Looking at our opponent, not giving them the due respect. They got players obviously in Kuzma and Jordan Poole who are capable of carrying teams. If you allow them to get a rhythm early, they’re going to put you in a dog fight and I think they did that tonight. Kuz was fabulous and we allowed him to get to his spot. Didn’t execute our game plan, personnel coverage. And obviously Jordan Poole got it going too.”.

Leading game highlights include:

Wizards guard Jordan Poole scored a season-high 31 points (11-21 FG, 6-13 3PT), five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Tonight, marks Poole’s sixth career game with at least 30+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a single game and is his first-such game as a member of the Wizards (last; 12/30/22 vs. POR). And he has now topped 20+ points in 16 total games this season, including in back-to-back games.

Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma scored 27 points (10-24 FG), seven rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in a season-high 39 minutes of action. Kuzma has now scored 20+ points in five of his last seven outings.

Washington guard Landry Shamet notched his second-straight start (due to Avdija’s injury), tying a season-high 15 points (3-8 3PT) while adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Wizards guard Tyus jones dished out a team-high 10 assists and has now compiled double-figure assists in four of his last five games.

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Published Feb 26, 2024

CANDI WALLER

Candi Waller also known as "CWall" is the Founder and CEO of CWall® Sports & Entertainment, President of the CWall Foundation, Inc, the Managing Publisher of the Fan Nation Inside the Wizards site, and President of Bowie Television. A native of Gorgeous Prince George's County, Maryland, Candi has been an authentic lover of all sports since her childhood. She was such a sports fan at an early age that she notes one of her favorite childhood shows as the legendary "George Michael Sports Machine". Candi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hampton University, Master of Arts in Human Resource Development from The George Washington University and a certificate in Sports Industry Essentials from Columbia University. Prior to and during her work in the sports industry, Candi has established her identity as a results-driven, relationship building advocate and professional with extensive years of experience leading and implementing successful strategic change, communications, and stakeholder engagement programs across geographically dispersed organizations. She’s worked across Big Four and Government Trusted Advisor consulting firms such as IBM, Deloitte, and the MITRE Corporation. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Women in Sports & Events (WISE), the National Press Club (NPC), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce and is an ambassador for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In terms of what she likes to do for fun, that’s just it…anything that is considered fun, she’s all for it! She’s very close to her parents, brother, and sister, and has a host of nieces, nephews, and godchildren.