WASHINGTON — The Cleveland Cavaliers secured a comfortable 135-116 win against the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, led by Donovan Mitchell with 30 points and Jarrett Allen contributing a flawless 23 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting from the field.
Darius Garland also chipped in with 23 points, while Evan Mobley posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, helping Cleveland maintain their unbeaten start to the season after three games.
As a team, the Cavaliers recorded an impressive 54% shooting percentage, making 47 of their 87 attempts. This victory also marked Cleveland’s ninth consecutive win over the Wizards. They had previously triumphed over Detroit, further extending their winning streak.
For the Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly shone by scoring a career-high 23 points, although the team faced significant struggles, losing two consecutive home games by a total of 39 points after a historically poor 15-67 record last season.
Cleveland’s performance was particularly commendable on the second night of a back-to-back set, but they will soon face more challenging matches against six teams that made it to the playoffs the previous season.
In contrast, Kyle Kuzma, Washington’s leading scorer from last season, has had a difficult start, making only 3 of 16 attempts in 24 minutes of play, and failing to connect on any of his four three-point attempts. This followed a 6-for-16 shooting night in their opener against Boston.
A pivotal moment in the game came right after Kuzma’s dunk at the start of the second half, when Mitchell responded by hitting a three-pointer, followed by a mid-range basket, and assisted Garland for another three. This sequence contributed to a decisive 12-0 run, pushing Cleveland’s lead to 16 points and preventing Washington from getting within single digits for the remainder of the match.
An interesting statistic highlighted Allen’s perfect shooting night, representing only the second occurrence in his career where he made 10 or more shots without missing. He achieved an even more remarkable 11-for-11 shooting performance on October 21, 2021, against Memphis.
Looking ahead, both teams will be on the road Monday, with the Cavaliers set to face off against the New York Knicks, while the Wizards will take on the Atlanta Hawks.