Game ID: 22300482
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Friday, January 5, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 36 16 32 30 114WAS 26 14 19 31 90
CLE vs WAS ScoutingCLE vs WAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CLE availability going into 12/27 · 3 days' restOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 12/20, out tonight
OUT Garland missed 5 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 9 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 19 min since (111% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 23 min since (184% of 13)
NEW Wade 20 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 11 to 17 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 4 since 12/20, returns tonight: 36 min (101% of 36)
OUT Garland missed 6 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 10 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 12/23, returns tonight: 15 min (89% of 17)
NEW Okoro 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Wade 20 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 11 to 17 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/01 · 2 days' restOUT Garland missed 7 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 11 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 36 min since (101% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 15 min since (89% of 17)
NEW Okoro 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Wade 20 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 28 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 8 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 12 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 37 min since (103% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 16 min since (95% of 17)
NEW Okoro 26 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Wade 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 9 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 13 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 33 min since (91% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 20 min since (120% of 17)
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 21 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 10 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 14 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 31 min since (86% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 22 min since (129% of 17)
CLE availability going into 1/11 · 3 days' restOUT Garland missed 11 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 15 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 32 min since (90% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 22 min since (130% of 17)
CLE availability going into 1/15 · 3 days' restOUT Garland missed 12 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 16 since 12/08, out tonight
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 13 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 17 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 1/11, returns tonight: 20 min (157% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 26 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 12/27 · back-to-backOUT Davis missed 10 since 12/06, returns tonight: 6 min (51% of 12)
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 10 min since (66% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 13 min since (97% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/22 after 3, 8 min since (58% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 2 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 10 min since (66% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 13 min since (97% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/22 after 3, 7 min since (53% of 13)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (51% of 12)
WAS availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 12 min since (78% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 15 min since (109% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/22 after 3, 7 min since (53% of 13)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (51% of 12)
WAS availability going into 1/03 · 2 days' restOUT Gallinari missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Butler missed 4 since 12/26, returns tonight: 9 min (62% of 14)
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 2 since 12/29, returns tonight: 5 min (42% of 12)
BACK Shamet back 12/22 after 8, 14 min since (86% of 16)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 16 min since (115% of 14)
WAS availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Gallinari missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 9 min since (62% of 14)
BACK Wright back 12/26 after 20, 17 min since (120% of 14)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (47% of 12)
NEW Muscala 14 to 20 min over the last 4
WAS availability going into 1/06 · back-to-backOUT Gallinari missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 7 min since (50% of 14)
BACK Davis back 12/27 after 10, 6 min since (48% of 12)
NEW Muscala 14 to 19 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Shamet missed 2 since 1/05, returns tonight: 16 min (103% of 16)
OUT Gallinari missed 5 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 5 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Davis back 1/03 after 2, 5 min since (41% of 12)
NEW Muscala 14 to 21 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Gallinari missed 6 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 6 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 1/08 after 2, 16 min since (103% of 16)
BACK Butler back 1/03 after 4, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Davis back 1/03 after 2, 5 min since (41% of 12)
WAS availability going into 1/13 · 2 days' restOUT Gallinari missed 7 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Butler missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 7 since 12/29, returns tonight: 18 min (140% of 13)
OUT Davis missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Shamet back 1/08 after 2, 16 min since (103% of 16)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and LeVert at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Garland (9 straight), Eva. Mobley (13 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 127, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 15 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Kispert at 14 a game. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-9 a night and Washington minus-13 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to Washington's 127. Call it Cleveland 123, Washington 111, Cleveland by 12.
12/27 @ DAL 113-110 — CLE notes
CLE won 113-110. CLE shot 43% (40 of 92) to DAL's 44%, 17 of 43 from three. CLE turned it over 16 times to DAL's 10, and DAL turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 57-37 for them. LeVert led with 29 (9 of 19, 6 of 11 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Allen added 24, Okoro 22. The hinge was Q4, 31-20: CLE came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 3. CLE trailed 54-69 at the half and won the second half 59-41. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
12/29 vs MIL 111-119 — CLE notes
CLE lost 111-119. CLE took 23 more shots (103 to 80), but shot 48% to MIL's 51%, 6 of 43 from three, and got to the line just 9 times against 20 fouls committed. CLE turned it over 8 times to MIL's 17. Mitchell led with 34 (14 of 23, 2 of 10 from three); Allen added 30, Porter Jr. 14. Q1 was theirs, 37-31, but the other 3 periods went 88-74 against them. They led by as many as 15. Allen's -12 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/01 @ TOR 121-124 — CLE notes
CLE lost 121-124. CLE shot 48% (43 of 89) to TOR's 48%, 12 of 36 from three, and got to the line 26 times to TOR's 40. LeVert led with 31 (12 of 20, 2 of 7 from three); Mitchell added 26, Allen 16. Q4 was theirs, 30-26, the deficit cut from 7 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 98-91 against them. Okoro's -17 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 vs WAS 140-101 — CLE notes
CLE won 140-101. CLE shot 53% (54 of 101) to WAS's 42%, 20 of 42 from three. The glass went 62-36 for them. Strus led with 24 (9 of 13, 6 of 8 from three); Mitchell added 22, LeVert 21. The hinge was Q3, 34-20: a lead of 12 became 26, and the lead reached 44. Strus was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
1/05 vs WAS 114-90 — CLE notes
CLE won 114-90. CLE shot 53% (41 of 77) to WAS's 42%, 16 of 33 from three, and went to the line 23 times to WAS's 15 — 16 points from the stripe to their 11. CLE turned it over 23 times to WAS's 16, and WAS turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 52-31 for them. Mitchell led with 26 (8 of 15, 5 of 8 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Niang added 14, Allen 12. The hinge was Q3, 32-19: a lead of 12 became 25, and the lead reached 29. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/07 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Allen at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Garland (10 straight), Eva. Mobley (14 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 24 and Vassell at 21 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Collins (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-11 a night and San Antonio minus-8 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 109 a night to San Antonio's 121. Call it Cleveland 120, San Antonio 110, Cleveland by 10.
1/11 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Allen at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Garland (11 straight), Eva. Mobley (15 straight). 3 days' rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 119, shooting 41 percent and 31 from three, 25 free throws a game; Bridges at 22 and Claxton at 15 a game. Without Simmons (30 straight), Clowney (6 straight), Wilson (2 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to Brooklyn's 119 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-8 a night and Brooklyn plus-3. Call it Cleveland 119, Brooklyn 110.
1/15 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and LeVert at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Garland (12 straight), Eva. Mobley (16 straight). 3 days' rest. Chicago comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; White at 24 and DeRozan at 23 a game. Without Craig (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-11 a night and Chicago minus-1 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 106 a night to Chicago's 116. Call it Cleveland 117, Chicago 111.
1/17 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 100, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and LeVert at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Garland (13 straight), Eva. Mobley (17 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 121, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 31 and Lillard at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Crowder (31 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 100 a night to Milwaukee's 121 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-12 a night and Milwaukee plus-2. Call it Cleveland 119, Milwaukee 115, Milwaukee keeping it close.
12/27 vs TOR 102-132 — WAS notes
WAS lost 102-132. WAS shot 47% (42 of 90) to TOR's 57%, 8 of 33 from three. The glass went 34-53 against them. Kuzma led with 14 (6 of 13, 1 of 5 from three); Poole added 14, Kispert 13. Q2 was theirs, 25-28, but the other 3 periods went 104-77 against them. Kuzma's -21 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/29 vs BKN 110-104 — WAS notes
WAS won 110-104. WAS shot 51% (46 of 91) to BKN's 43%, 15 of 38 from three, and got to the line 7 times to BKN's 27. The glass went 43-54 against them. Kuzma led with 26 (11 of 22, 4 of 10 from three); Avdija added 21, Kispert 15. The hinge was Q4, 26-18: WAS came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 6. Muscala was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
12/31 vs ATL 126-130 — WAS notes
WAS lost 126-130. WAS shot 47% (46 of 98) to ATL's 49%, 17 of 53 from three, and got to the line 21 times to ATL's 37. The glass went 42-58 against them. Kuzma led with 38 (15 of 31, 7 of 18 from three); Avdija added 17, Kispert 15. Q4 was theirs, 39-30, the deficit cut from 13 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 100-87 against them. They led by as many as 13. Coulibaly's -18 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 @ CLE 101-140 — WAS notes
WAS lost 101-140. WAS shot 42% (42 of 101) to CLE's 53%, 12 of 35 from three. The glass went 36-62 against them. Kuzma led with 16 (7 of 12, 2 of 6 from three); Muscala added 12, Gafford 12. Q1 was theirs, 31-34, but the other 3 periods went 106-70 against them. Coulibaly's -24 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ CLE 90-114 — WAS notes
WAS lost 90-114. WAS shot 42% (35 of 84) to CLE's 53%, 9 of 30 from three, and got to the line 15 times to CLE's 23. WAS turned it over 16 times to CLE's 23. The glass went 31-52 against them. Jones led with 16 (6 of 10, 4 of 6 from three); Coulibaly added 15, Avdija 13. Q4 was theirs, 31-30, the deficit cut from 25 to 24, but the other 3 periods went 84-59 against them. Avdija's -22 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/06 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 124, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 14 free throws a game; Kuzma at 21 and Avdija at 14 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 19 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Randle at 30 and Brunson at 25 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Robinson (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-8 a night and Washington minus-19 and the defense, New York allowing 111 a night to Washington's 124. Call it New York 120, Washington 112.
1/08 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 15 free throws a game; Kuzma at 23 and Avdija at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 15 a night. Without Shamet (2 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 118, shooting 53 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where OKC has been minus-4 a night and Washington minus-15 and the arc, OKC at 43 percent from three to Washington's 34. Call it OKC 122, Washington 115.
1/10 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 122, shooting 52 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mathurin at 21 and Haliburton at 18 a game. One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 128, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Avdija at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been minus-3 a night and Washington minus-13 and the line, where Indiana takes 26 free throws a game to Washington's 19. Call it Indiana 129, Washington 117, Indiana by 12.
1/13 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 133, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 31 free throws a game; Murray at 26 and Young at 22 a game. Without Hunter (10 straight), Krejčí (9 straight), Mathews (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 125, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Kuzma at 17 and Avdija at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Atlanta has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-11 and the line, where Atlanta takes 31 free throws a game to Washington's 21. Call it Atlanta 124, Washington 119.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
CP C. Porter Jr.
DJ D. Jones
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TT T. Thompson
WASAG A. Gill
BC B. Coulibaly
CK C. Kispert
DA D. Avdija
DG D. Gafford
DW D. Wright
EO E. Omoruyi
JB J. Butler
JD J. Davis
JP J. Poole
KK K. Kuzma
MM M. Muscala
TJ T. Jones
CLE/WAS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Donovan Mitchell's 26 points, another double-double by Jarrett Allen send Cavs past Wizards 114-90
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen had his sixth straight double-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to their second easy win in three nights over Washington, beating the Wizards 114-90 on Friday night.
The Cavs had a little tougher time against the Wizards than in their 140-101 blowout on Wednesday, when Cleveland reached season highs in points, rebounds, assists and 3-point percentage.
Mitchell made sure there was no slip-up, scoring 12 points in the third quarter to help the Cavs pull away.
“We handled our business,” Mitchell said. “We just played steady basketball throughout. The biggest thing is taking care of these games and continuing to move forward. It’s expected of us."
Allen finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. In his last six games, Cleveland's center, who has been getting far more offensive touches than earlier this season, is averaging 19.6 points, 15.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
“I'm hard pressed to find a big guy who is playing better than Jarrett Allen,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We all need to take a serious look at his All-Star accolades because I don’t know many big guys, if any, that are playing better.”
Caris LeVert had a season-high 10 assists and Georges Niang added 14 points for Cleveland.
Tyus Jones had 16 points to lead the Wizards, who came in allowing an NBA-worst 126.6 points.
Cleveland improved to 7-3 without point guard Darius Garland (broken jaw) and forward Evan Mobley (left knee surgery), who are both expected to be out another month.
The Cavs had to figure out a way to play without two of their best players, who combine to average over 36 points per game. There's been an added emphasis on ball movement and cutting, and to this point, the results have been impressive.
“I don't think it's the numbers people were expecting, that's the honest truth," Allen said of Cleveland's record without Garland and Mobley. “You see two All-Stars go down and you think, oh, things could spiral out of control.
“But we held our own and we are still a team capable of great things.”
Of course, it always helps to play an inferior opponent, and the Wizards just aren't very competitive.
Washington had a season low in points while falling to 6-28 overall and 3-17 on the road.
Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. was hoping for a stronger performance in all facets from his squad, which got embarrassed Wednesday by being out-rebounded 62-36, a disparity that would have made his late father, a Hall of Famer, cringe.
Washington played tougher — the Cavs outrebounded them 52-31 — was still within striking distance midway through the third when Dean Wade and Mitchell hit consecutive 3-pointers to push Cleveland's lead to 25. The Cavs outscored the Wizards 32-19 in the third.
“I felt we took more pride in what we were trying to do across the board," Unseld said. "It was much better. Defensively, particularly in the first half, I thought we were really good.”
Mitchell made his first four shots and had three assists as the Cavs opened a 14-point lead in the first quarter, threatening to make it another runaway. However, the Wizards slowed them down with an 11-0 run and were within 12 at halftime.
It was another all-around effort in a string of them for the Cavs.
“It's one through 15,” Mitchell said. “It’s not just one person. When you got guys that know the game, moving the ball, moving around, being able to execute it makes life easier.”
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host New York on Saturday.
Cavaliers: Host San Antonio and rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama on Sunday.