Wizards top Cavs
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Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - John Wall scored 21 points and handed out nine assists to help the Washington Wizards take a 96-83 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Bradley Beal added 17 points, while Trevor Ariza and Marcin Gortat both finished with double-doubles for the Wizards, winners in three straight.
Ariza scored 15 points and pulled down 10 boards, while Gortat added 13 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
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Luol Deng scored 17 points and Spencer Hawes added 16 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Cavaliers, losers in two straight.
"There are so many things we have to figure out -- new pieces, guys missing -- but we're not going to use that as an excuse. Time is of the essence right now, especially when we want to do something special here," Irving said.
Anthony Bennett cut the Cavs' deficit to four, 78-74, but an 11-4 run put Washington ahead 89-78 with just 5:55 to go. The Wizards' lead reach as high as 15 as the visitors ran away with the victory.
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The Cavs were just 4-for-19 from the field and finished with just 11 points in the final frame.
Washington led 30-27 after 12 minutes and took a 58-52 lead into the break.
Cleveland was within two possessions for most of the third and pulled within a point, 73-72, on Deng's three-point play, but Al Harrington scored the final five points of the stanza, including a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left, to send the Wizards into the fourth with a 78-72 lead.
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"Al [Harrington] gave us a big lift tonight by making a couple of shots. He was panting like a dog out there, but his [seven] minutes were big. He came out with a lot of energy and provided veteran leadership," said Wizards coach Randy Wittman.
Game Notes
The Wizards were just 6-for-10 from the free throw line, while Cleveland finished 21-for-26 from the charity stripe ... Washington will host Orlando on Tuesday ... The Cavs were just 30-for-78 from the field and 2-for-18 from 3- point range ... Cleveland hosts Toronto Tuesday.