LeBron hits milestone as Cavaliers drub Wizards
WASHINGTON -- Kyrie Irving scored 29 points and LeBron James added 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers rebounded from their first loss of the season with a 105-94 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Kevin Love had 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Cavaliers (7-1), who dominated the Wizards from behind the 3-point arc. Cleveland finished 14 of 33 while Washington went 3 for 15
John Wall had 28 points for the Wizards (2-6), but didn't score after halftime until 3:53 remained and the Cavaliers opened up a double-digit lead. Cleveland led 58-56 at halftime.
One day after visiting the White House to honor the Cavaliers winning the 2016 NBA championship, James became the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 27,000 points. At 31 years, 317 days, he passed former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant (32,160) with a 3-pointer in the first quarter.
J.R. Smith scored 17 points and sank five 3-pointers. The Cavaliers have made at least 11 3-pointers in every game this season. That included Tuesday's 110-106 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, but they also missed 31 attempts.
Washington played without starting guard Bradley Beal (hamstring). Marcus Thornton replaced Beal in the starting lineup. He scored two points and went 0-for-5 from the field.
Markieff Morris scored 20 points for the Wizards, who routed the Boston Celtics 118-93 on Wednesday. Otto Porter had 11 points and Marcin Gortat grabbed 15 rebounds.
Wall scored 23 points in the first half and his jumper gave Washington its largest lead at 45-33. Cleveland roared back and closed the second quarter with a 25-11 spurt to enter halftime up 58-56. James went 6 of 7 from the field in the first half.
Neither team could find an offensive rhythm in the third quarter, but Smith's three 3-pointers helped the Cavaliers enter the final period leading 84-75.