Cavaliers Dominate Wizards 148-114 in NBA Cup
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donovan Mitchell led the Cleveland Cavaliers with 24 points, while Darius Garland contributed 20 points and nine assists as Cleveland defeated the Washington Wizards 148-114 Friday night, improving their NBA Cup record to 1-1.
The Cavaliers narrowly missed tying their franchise record for points in a regulation game, falling one point short of the 149 scored against Denver last December. Their overall highest scoring game remains a 154-153 quadruple-overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers in January. Another notable high-scoring game was a December 1991 home win over Miami, also with 148 points.
After losing their Cup opener at home against Toronto, a game Mitchell missed due to hamstring tightness, Cleveland has now won three consecutive games. CJ McCollum led Washington with 25 points, 20 of which came in the first half, but the Wizards extended their losing streak to seven, dropping to 1-8 overall.
The teams will both play at home Saturday to complete back-to-back games. Cleveland held a 76-59 lead at halftime thanks to Garland and Sam Merrill. After three quarters, the score was 109-86 in favor of the Cavaliers.
Garland, returning from surgery on his big toe after missing seven games, scored eight points and had four assists in his season debut against Philadelphia just days earlier.
"Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points, Darius Garland had 20 points and nine assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Washington Wizards 148-114 on Friday night."
"CJ McCollum scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half for Washington in its East Group A opener."
Author’s summary: The Cleveland Cavaliers secured a commanding 148-114 win over the Wizards, showcasing strong performances from Mitchell and Garland while extending Washington’s losing streak to seven games.