Cavs score vs. Wizards | Cleveland wins 10th consecutive in series with Washington

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Cavs score vs. Wizards | Cleveland wins 10th consecutive in series with Washington

Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Wed, Dec 4, 2024 ·

9 min read

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CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers boosted their NBA-leading record against a team on the other end of the spectrum, beating the Wizards handily 118-87 Tuesday night.

At 19-3, the Cavs own the league's best record. At 2-17, the Washington Wizards have its worst record. And Cleveland has won the past 10 games in the series, including 135-116 on Oct. 26 at Washington .

Here's how the Cavs' win unfolded through our live updates Tuesday.

Cavs injury news: Cleveland Cavaliers guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell 'all good' after scares vs. Washington Wizards

Cavaliers rout the Wizards

The Cavs crushed the Wizards 118-87, improving their season record to an NBA-best 19-3.

Evan Mobley finished with a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell had 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Georges Niang and Sam Merrill both had 14 points.

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell celebrates after a first-half play against the Washington Wizards, Dec. 3, 2024, in Cleveland

Donovan Mitchell scores 5 points in 3 seconds

The Cavs are just toying with the Wizards now.

Donovan Mitchell somehow got a nifty layup to fall, and he then immediately stole the in-bounds pass, took one step and drained a 3-pointer, scoring five points in only three seconds.

Mitchell has 19 points, five rebounds and seven assists tonight, and the Cavs now lead 104-77.

Sam Merrill hits back-to-back 3s in fourth quarter vs. Wizards

Sam Merrill checked in and swished back-to-back 3s, which will just about put tonight's game out of reach with the Cavs leading 92-70 with just over nine minutes to go.

Merrill now has 14 points tonight, and he's hit four of his eight 3-point attempts.

Cavaliers, Wizards score: Cleveland leads Washington; Darius Garland injury update

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland lies on the court after colliding with Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas in the second half, Dec. 3, 2024, in Cleveland

The Cavs are still cruising to an easy win, now up 86-67 after the third quarter.

But the real storyline is now with Darius Garland , who is being evaluated after being struck in the head and will not return to the game. The Cavs just announced that Garland is out for the rest of the night.

Donovan Mitchell, who went to the locker room in the third quarter, remains in the game.

Darius Garland hit in head again, heads to locker room

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) is fouled by Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas during the second half, Dec. 3, 2024, in Cleveland. Garland was injured on the play and did not return.

Darius Garland has been hit in the head yet again, this time by Jonas Valanciunas. Garland was going for an Evan Mobley lob pass and ended up being struck in the head.

Garland went on a crazy run of being hit in the face last season, which eventually led him to needing jaw surgery.

Garland was shaken up a bit, headed to the bench and eventually the locker room. He has not yet returned to the floor.

This has been a weird quarter for the Cavs, who probably just want to get through this game with everyone covered in bubble wrap at this point.

Donovan Mitchell returns to Cavaliers bench; quickly checks into game

Mitchell has returned to the Cavaliers bench, a really good sign for the star guard.

And surprisingly, Mitchell is even checking back into the game after only missing a few minutes. The injury looked like it might be a lot worse when he ran to the locker room with his right arm dangling by his side.

Cleveland fans can breathe a sigh of relief, it seems.

The Cavs lead 70-47 with just over eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Donovan Mitchell injury: Star guard headed to locker room after collision with Jonas Valanciunas

Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is heading to the locker room after colliding with Jonas Valanciunas, who was setting a screen.

Mitchell was in obvious discomfort, with his right shoulder/arm dangling by his side.

The Cavs lead 65-44 with 10:42 left in the third quarter. Updates will be provided once they are made available.

Injury update: Kyshawn George , Corey Kispert out for the remainder of Wizards-Cavs game

Kyshawn George and Corey Kispert have both been ruled out for the remainder of Tuesday's game with ankle injuries.

Cavaliers lead Wizards at halftime

The Cavs are cruising past a team that they, well, should be cruising against. Cleveland leads the Wizards 60-42 at halftime.

The Wizards simply can't make a shot. They're shooting 34 percent from the field and are a pretty awful 2-of-14 from 3-point range. Woof.

Evan Mobley has a game-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor to go with six rebound. Darius Garland has 10 points and two assists. Donovan Mitchell has nine points and six assists.

Kyshawn George injury: Wizards forward goes down hard during Cavaliers game

Trainers are checking on Wizards forward Kyshawn George, who hit the floor hard near the basket during the second quarter of Tuesday night's game against the Cavaliers.

George was down for a few minutes and eventually walked off the floor gingerly, but under his own power. He's checking out of the game for now.

The Cavaliers lead the Wizards 38-22 with 7:50 left in the quarter. Both teams have turned completely, totally, absolutely ice cold from the floor. Both sides have one basket in more than four minutes of play to begin the quarter. The arena has actually been weirdly quiet for the last few minutes while both teams clank shots off the rim over and over.

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell celebrates his fourth-quarter 3-pointer against the Boston Celtics, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cleveland.

Cleveland leads Washington 35-20 at the end of the first quarter

The Cavs led the Wizards 35-20 at the end of the first quarter.

Forward Evan Mobley had 11 points and three rebounds to pace the Cavs in both categories in the opening quarter. Guard Donovan Mitchell added six points and four assists.

The Cavs went 11-of-21 shooting (52.4%) from the field (6 of 13 on 3-pointers) in the first quarter. The Wizards went 7-of-21 shooting (33.3%) from the floor (0 of 6 on 3s).

Cleveland Cavaliers lead Washington Wizards 29-16 with 2:58 remaining in the opening quarter

The Cavs led the Wizards 29-16 during a Cleveland timeout with 2:58 left in the first quarter.

Seven Cavs players have already scored, led by Mobley with seven points.

Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas has 10 points at this early stage of the game, but Washington doesn't have much else going right.

Cavs are red hot out of the gate and lead Wizards 11-4 with 9:37 left in the first quarter

The Cavs made four of their first five field-goal attempts, including three of their first four 3-pointers.

Mobley started the game with a layup and a 3-pointer. Guard Donovan Mitchell added a 3-pointer as did small forward Isaac Okoro on an assist from Mitchell. Okoro's 3-pointer led Washington to call timeout with 9:37 remaining in the first quarter as the Cavs held an 11-4 lead.

During the stoppage, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett narrated a "Cleveland vs. the world" video shown on the scoreboard and waved a rally towel before play resumed. It's his bobblehead night (see more below).

Here is some pregame information :

What is the injury report for Cleveland Cavs vs. Washington Wizards? Dean Wade will return, but Ty Jerome is out

The Cavs have ruled out small forward Max Strus (sprained right ankle). They initially listed forward Dean Wade (sprained left ankle) and guard Ty Jerome (illness) as questionable to face the Wizards. However, Wade is officially available to play Tuesday night, and Jerome has been downgraded to out.

The Cavs assigned guards Jaylon Tyson and Craig Porter Jr. to play with their NBA G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge, on Tuesday afternoon. A rookie first-round draft pick, Tyson had been receiving minutes with the Cavs during Wade's absence, so Tyson playing for the Charge telegraphed Wade returning to face the Wizards. Wade had missed six consecutive games.

The Wizards have ruled out forward Kyle Kuzma (left rib sprain), center Tristan Vukcevic (left knee contusion) and forward Saddiq Bey (left ACL surgery).

Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the second quarter against the Boston Celtics, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cleveland.

New Cleveland Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson named NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month

On Tuesday, the NBA announced Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in October and November. It's the first time Atkinson has earned Coach of the Month accolades in his career. He became the eighth coach in Cavs history to win the award.

In Atkinson's first season with the Cavs , they went 17-3 in October and November.

The Myles Garrett bobblehead the Cavaliers are giving to fans Tuesday night as a promotion. Garrett is a Cleveland Browns star defensive end and a Cavs minority owner.

Cavaliers honor Cleveland Browns player and Cavs minority owner Myles Garrett with bobblehead

The Cavs are honoring Browns star and NBA enthusiast Garrett with his own bobblehead night. He's seated courtside for the Cavs-Wizards game.

The bobblehead features Garrett , the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a Cavaliers minority owner , sporting a No. 95 Cavs jersey and holding a rally towel.

"He's a great player, obviously, one of the greatest D-ends," Mobley said Tuesday morning after shootaround.

Garrett, 28, bought a stake in the Cavs last year.

"That's huge for him," Okoro said. "I mean, being a part owner for a team, that's big time. That's things you think about down the line in your career."

Cavs news: Philadelphia 76ers sign Revere High School grad Pete Nance from NBA G-League's Cleveland Charge

Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert shoots in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics, Dec. 1, 2024, in Cleveland.

Are the Cavaliers and Wizards playing in an NBA Cup game?

Is an Emirates NBA Cup game really an NBA Cup game when both teams have already been eliminated from Knockout Round contention?

Technically, the Cavs and Wizards will play in an NBA Cup game Tuesday night, but neither team will advance to the Knockout Rounds.

So Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will feature Cleveland's custom-made NBA Cup floor, but the game will be much ado about nothing as it pertains to the in-season tournament.

More Cleveland Cavs coverage: 'I'm no punk': Darius Garland is 'accepting the challenge' from Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson on defense

How can I watch, listen, stream Cavs vs. Wizards game?

Tuesday night's game can be watched locally on the FanDuel Sports Network . It can be heard on the radio via WMMS (100.7-FM) and WTAM (1100-AM).

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs game score vs Wizards live updates, highlights, analysis

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