Despite a hot-shooting start to the game, the Washington Wizards weren't able to keep up with the Cleveland Cavaliers as time wore on in the first of their two-game stint. Final score: Cavaliers 140, Wizards 101.
For the entirety of the first half, 3-point shooting was the main story. Not even four and a half minutes into the game, these two teams had combined for 32 points and were 13-of-19 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 shooting from deep. At that point, the Cavs were yet to miss from three. As the first half continued, Cleveland kept the rain coming.
After a couple of big threes from Donovan Mitchell in the final moments before halftime, the Cavs jumped out to their biggest lead of the game, leading 70-58. The Wizards shot 8-of-19 from deep in the first half, which is typically really good, but it was no match for the Cavs' 13-of-21 mark from deep. Max Strus led the way with 21 points at the break on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point territory.
The energy shifted even more in the Cavs' direction in the second half thanks to a huge 12 minutes from Jarrett Allen. He had a solid first half but was the X factor in the third quarter, where he dropped 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and hauled in 10 boards. His presence in the paint and activity on the glass helped the Cavs build a 101-75 lead after three quarters, making the final frame academic.
Allen finished the game with 17 points, 19 boards, seven assists, and two blocks. The Cavs shot 20-of-42 (47.6%) from beyond the arc. As for the Wizards, Kyle Kuzma scored a team-high 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Daniel Gafford, Mike Muscala, and Corey Kispert all joined him in double figures.
These two teams will be back in action once again on Friday night in Cleveland for a rematch.