Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 33 points, helping the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers earn a 134-124 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Evan Mobley had 27 points, Darius Garland added 23 and Max Strus scored 17 as the Cavaliers recorded their sixth victory in seven tries. Ty Jerome scored 13 off the bench, while Jarrett Allen collected 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Despite Jordan Poole’s career-high 45 points, the Wizards saw their season-best three-game winning streak come to an end. Kyshawn George scored 17, Bilal Coulibaly chipped in 16, Bub Carrington added 13 and Richaun Holmes tallied 12 points and 12 boards in the loss.
After trailing 67-64 at halftime, Cleveland opened the third quarter with an 8-2 spurt, taking a four-point lead on Garland’s 3-pointer.
With 7:16 left in the third, Poole’s layup gave the Wizards a 77-76 lead, but Jerome’s trey and Garland’s floater put Cleveland up 81-77. Mitchell’s floater with 3.1 seconds left in the third gave the Cavaliers a 94-93 edge entering the final quarter.
Mitchell scored the first five points of the fourth before Jerome’s basket stamped a 7-0 run to give the Cavaliers a 101-93 advantage. Later in the fourth, Poole’s four straight points pulled Washington within five, but Garland’s 3-pointer began a 7-2 spurt as Cleveland pushed its edge to 122-112 with 5:13 to go.
Poole’s free throws trimmed Washington’s deficit to eight with 3:38 remaining, but Strus’ 3-pointer started an 8-0 run that helped Cleveland ice the game.
The Cavaliers led 35-33 after the first quarter thanks to 52.4 percent shooting from the field, despite Coulibaly’s 12 first-quarter points.
From there, the Wizards grabbed a 42-39 lead thanks to baskets from Carrington and Corey Kispert. Mitchell then scored seven of Cleveland’s next 10 points as the Cavaliers took a 49-44 advantage with 7:05 remaining in the second quarter.
Allen’s dunk later gave the Cavaliers a 56-52 lead before Poole went on a personal 6-0 run (a 3-pointer and a three-point play) to give the Wizards a two-point edge.
The Wizards led by six with 1:24 left and took a 67-64 advantage into halftime.
–Field Level Media
