National Basketball Association
Cleveland 117, Washington 94
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, March 17, 2023
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials: #23 Tre Maddox, #40 Leon Wood, #15 Zach Zarba
Attendance: 19432

Darius Garland had 24 points, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley added 20 apiece and the Cleveland Cavaliers led wire-to-wire in a 117-94 win over the visiting Washington Wizards on Friday.

Caris LeVert scored 15 points and Mobley tallied eight rebounds and four blocks for Cleveland (45-28), which completed a three-game season sweep of the Wizards. Garland contributed nine assists while shooting 11 of 19 from the field.

Bradley Beal led Washington (32-38) with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and nine rebounds, Corey Kispert scored 12 points and Monte Morris added 10 for the Wizards, who have lost four of their last five.

Mitchell scored 10 points in the first quarter to help Cleveland take a 31-24 lead. The Cavaliers shot 13 of 22 (59.1 percent) for the period.

The Cavaliers dominated the second quarter and moved ahead by 21 when Mitchell scored with 3:21 left in the half. Washington trailed 61-44 at the break after committing 10 turnovers.

Mitchell and Garland scored a combined 31 points in the first half for Cleveland, which won for the sixth time in its last eight games.

Washington began the third quarter on an 11-3 run to cut the lead to 64-55 and stayed within striking distance heading into the final period.

Leading 84-74 to start the fourth quarter, Cleveland turned back the Wizards' comeback effort and moved ahead by 15 midway through the period. The Cavaliers outscored Washington 33-20 in the fourth.

Cleveland exceeded its win total from last season (44-38 in 2021-22) despite shooting just 4 of 19 (21.1 percent) from 3-point range.

Mamadi Diakite had a season-high five rebounds for the Cavaliers, who improved to 29-8 at home. Cleveland has held its opponents under 100 points in an NBA-best 22 games.

Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma returned after missing one game due to right knee soreness and scored seven points while battling foul trouble.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Cleveland
Bradley Beal 22 Scoring Darius Garland 24
Bradley Beal 5 Assists Darius Garland 9
Kristaps Porzingis 9 Rebounds Evan Mobley 8
Bradley Beal 5 Free Throws Made Donovan Mitchell 6
Kristaps Porzingis 2 Steals Caris LeVert 4
Kristaps Porzingis 2 Blocks Evan Mobley 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Washington 94 46.1 8-23 16-20 22 38 6 5 17
Cleveland 117 55.2 4-19 17-22 31 41 7 9 11
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Brooklyn. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .591 after a win and .655 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Sacramento. The Wizards have a W/L % of .531 after a win and .395 after a loss.