The Cavs struggled with their worst shooting performance of the season, but it was still enough to hold off the league’s worst team.
On Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers, leading the NBA, defeated the Washington team 115-105. Darius Garland contributed 24 points, while Jarrett Allen had 21 points and 11 rebounds. This victory handed the Wizards their 18th loss in 19 games.
Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points and Garland added eight assists for Cleveland, which is 22-4 and holds a 1 1/2-game lead over Boston for the top record in the league. The Cavaliers, who lead the NBA in field-goal percentage, shot a season-low 39.6%.
Caris LeVert had 14 points and six assists and Isaac Okoro scored 13 points. Cleveland went 15 of 51 on 3-pointers.
Bilal Coulibaly tied his career high with 27 points and Jordan Poole scored 17 for the Wizards. Justin Champagnie had 16 points and eight rebounds as Washington fell to a league-worst 3-20.
Takeaways
Wizards: Alex Sarr, the No. 2 overall draft pick, returned after missing two games with a sore lower back and made his first five shots, including a 3-pointer. The 7-footer from France finished with 14 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes.
Cavaliers: Power forward Evan Mobley, who is averaging 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds, sprained his left ankle in the previous game at Miami and did not play. Coach Kenny Atkinson said he isn’t concerned the injury will be “a long-term thing.”
Key moment
LeVert scored four points and absorbed a flagrant foul from Poole during a 7-0 Cavaliers run that bridged the third and fourth quarters, finally giving them breathing room with an 89-80 lead.
Key stats
Cleveland improved to 14-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this season, the second-best home mark in the NBA behind unbeaten Orlando. The Cavaliers also beat Washington for the 11th straight time, their longest streak in the 55-year series.
Up Next
Wizards host Boston on Sunday, and Cavaliers visit Brooklyn on Monday.
