Cavaliers 127, Wizards 89
Kyrie Irving scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half and added seven assists as visiting Cleveland jumped out early and cruised.
LeBron James added 28 points on 12-of-21 shooting for the Cavaliers, who have won 15 of 17 games since his return from a knee injury. J.R. Smith added 15 points and Iman Shumpert 12 as Cleveland took the opener in a stretch of 11 of 14 games on the road with nine opponents currently sitting among the top eight in their respective conferences.
John Wall had 18 points and nine assists for the Wizards, who have lost seven of nine. Nene scored 18 points as Washington struggled playing a third straight game without Bradley Beal (leg).
James (10 points) and Irving combined for 19 points and six assists in the first quarter as Cleveland soared to a 35-26 lead. Shumpert drained three straight jumpers, two from beyond the arc, Timofey Mozgov contributed a layup and James drained a 3-pointer as Cleveland extended a 13-point lead to 52-30 with 7:41 left in the half.
Washington bridged the second and third quarters with a 16-5 run to pull within 11, but Smith and James drained two 3-pointers apiece during a 16-6 run that restored a 21-point bulge with 5:18 left in the third. Cleveland led 94-71 entering the fourth and a jumper and 3-pointer by Matthew Dellavedova pushed the lead to 33 just 2 1/2 minutes into the fourth as the Cavaliers cruised home.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wizards PG Ramon Sessions, who was acquired from the Kings on Thursday, had two assists in six minutes. . … The Wizards gave up a season-high 65 points in the first half. … The Cavaliers shot 14-of-33 from the arc, while the Wizards missed their first 13, including 11 in the first half, and finished 1-of-16.