Cavaliers 113, Wizards 87
LeBron James racked up 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as host Cleveland routed Washington.
Kevin Love scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Cavaliers (7-7), who have won two straight following a four-game skid. Kyrie Irving struggled with his shot early but managed 18 points and Dion Waiters added 15 points off the bench for Cleveland.
Rasual Butler scored a season-best 23 points off the bench to lead the Wizards (9-5), who have dropped two in a row. Paul Pierce chipped in 15 points and Marcin Gortat had 12, but star
point guard John Wall was limited to six points on 2-of-6 shooting.
The Wizards never threatened in the second half, trailing by 12 at halftime and never getting closer than nine after intermission. Butler opened the fourth quarter with a driving bucket to cut it to 81-69, but that was as close as it got in the final stanza as Love scored six points during an 8-0 burst to make it a 20-point game and Cleveland cruised the rest of the way.
The Cavaliers broke it open with an 18-12 run in the first quarter, building an 18-point lead before Butler and Wall knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to get the Wizards within 31-18 after one quarter. Washington was unable to make much of a dent in the deficit before halftime, as Cleveland got to the foul line repeatedly and went 18-of-21 in the first half to take a 58-46 lead to the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wizards SG Bradley Beal was in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in his first four games after returning from a wrist injury and struggled to 10 points on 4-of-10 from the field. … The Wizards were without PF Nene (plantar fasciitis) for the second straight game. … Cleveland scored 24 points off 18 Washington turnovers and has 48 points off 35 opponent miscues in its past two games.