Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points, and Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, and Jarrett Allen combined to make 24 free throws, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers hold off a surprising challenge from the Washington Wizards to win 115-105 on Friday night.
Garland led the Cavaliers with 24 points, while Allen scored 21 and LeVert added 14. Cleveland improved to 14-1 at home this season.
The Wizards, now 1-10 on the road, shot better than the Cavaliers, making 47.7 percent of their shots compared to 39.6 percent for Cleveland. They also shot 35.0 percent on three-pointers, while the Cavaliers made 30.0 percent. However, the Wizards struggled at the free-throw line, where the Cavaliers scored 28 points to their 9, getting to the line 40 times compared to Washington’s 11.
LeVert scored most of his points from the free-throw line, making 8 of 12 attempts, while Garland was 9 of 10 and Allen was 7 of 10.
Mitchell’s 20-point performance marked his 17th game of the season with 20 or more points. He had 30 points in an earlier win against Washington and made 4 of 11 three-pointers in this game.
Allen also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, and Garland recorded 8 assists.
Isaac Okoro added 13 points, and Georges Niang scored 10, making it six Cavaliers in double figures.
The Wizards kept the game close, never trailing by more than 12 points. They were within 94-88 after a dunk by Johnny Davis with 8:52 left, but Washington went scoreless for the next 2:04, allowing the Cavaliers to extend their lead and finish the game comfortably.
Bilal Coulibaly led Washington with a career-high-tying 27 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
Jordan Poole contributed 17 points, six assists, and three steals, while Justin Champagnie added 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Alexandre Sarr scored 14 points for the Wizards.
