(Field Level Media) Tristan Thompson led seven Cavaliers in double figures with 21 points and visiting Cleveland held off the Washington Wizards for a 113-100 win last night.
Washington, which trailed by as many as 21 points, pulled within one point twice in the fourth quarter.
Kevin Love and Collin Sexton scored 16 points each for the Cavaliers. Thompson and Love grabbed 12 rebounds apiece.
Thomas Bryant led Washington with 23 points and Rui Hachimura added 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
Bradley Beal scored 20 points for Washington, which has lost five of its past six.
Washington, which trailed by 15 at halftime, closed to within 11 early in the second half but a 6-0 run gave Cleveland a 73-56 lead.
The Wizards soon responded with an 8-0 run capped by Bryant’s tip-in. After Beal’s three-point play brought Washington within 12, Hachimura’s dunk cut the deficit to 86-76, and Bryant’s dunk made it 86-78 with 2:49 left in the third quarter.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Davis Bertans and Ish Smith capped a 27-9 run that pulled Washington within 88-84 after three quarters. The Wizards pulled within one early in the fourth quarter but never took the lead and the Cavaliers pushed the margin back to seven points on Jordan Clarkson’s tip-in.
Cleveland’s lead was 10 points after a goaltending violation by Bryant, who then earned a technical, and Love’s free throw with 4:57 remaining.
Washington got no closer than within six points the rest of the way and Sexton’s 3-pointer made it 111-100 with 1:41 left.
Leading 30-28 early in the second quarter the Cavaliers went on a 17-4 capped by Cedi Osman’s jumper with 7:49 left in the first half.
Thompson’s free throw gave Cleveland a 20-point lead late in the half, but Hachimura scored eight points down the stretch and the Wizards were within 67-52 at intermission.
The Wizards committed 11 turnovers in the first half and the Cleveland bench outscored the Washington reserves 26-10.
—Field Level Media
