Wizards 91, Cavaliers 78
John Wall poured in a game-high 28 points to go with seven assists, six rebounds and four steals as host Washington sent Cleveland to a third straight defeat.
Bradley Beal and Kevin Seraphin each scored 12 points off the bench for the Wizards, who snapped a four-game home losing streak against the Cavaliers. Nene added 10 points and seven boards as Washington improved to 5-1 at home.
LeBron James scored 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting and Kyrie Irving had 22 points and six rebounds to lead the Cavaliers, who shot just 36 percent overall and were 6-for-27 from 3-point range. Anderson Varejao added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Cleveland trimmed a 13-point halftime deficit to seven early in the third before Wall took over, scoring 17 points in the quarter to help the Wizards stretch their lead to 80-65 entering the fourth. Washington went cold in the final stanza, allowing the Cavaliers to hang around and get within nine with 2:15 left before Beal splashed in a 3-pointer from the left corner and the Wizards coasted from there.
The Cavaliers led by five in the first quarter before Washington closed the period with a 9-0 burst to take a 26-21 lead and pushed the margin to nine early in the second. Nene set up two easy buckets in the final minute, feeding Paul Pierce for a dunk and Seraphin for a score inside as the Wizards took a 55-42 halftime lead.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cleveland PF Kevin Love was limited to eight points on 3-of-8 shooting, snapping a streak of 90 consecutive games scoring in double figures dating to Dec. 26, 2012. … Washington's reserves outscored Cleveland's bench 40-9 including a 29-0 margin in the first half. … Irving has scored 20 or more points in a career-best six consecutive games.