Tristan Thompson, Collin Sexton help Cleveland Cavaliers rally for 113-110 win over Washington Wizards
WASHINGTON (AP) — Colin Sexton scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to win in their first game under interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, beating the Washington Wizards 113-110 on Friday night.
Cedi Osman added 16 points and Darius Garland had 15 to help the Cavaliers win back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 9-11. After those wins, they lost 13 of 15 heading into the All-Star break, resulting in first-year head coach John Beilein’s resignation.
Andre Drummond added 12 points and 12 rebounds, Tristan Thompson had 10 points and 11 rebounds and the Cavaliers took control in the fourth quarter after not leading at all during the first three.
Bradley Beal had 26 points for Washington on 9-for-28 shooting. He was 1 of 10 from 3-point range on a night the Wizards shot 24% (9 of 37) from long range.
Rui Hachimura added 17 points as the Washington returned from the break with a loss after entering winning five of their last seven.
Trailing nearly the entire game and by as many as 16 early, the Cavs turned it around with a 20-4 run during the fourth quarter. They pulled into their first tie on Thompson’s alley-oop dunk.
After Beal hit two foul shots, Garland’s 3-pointer from the left elbow gave Cleveland its first lead with 6:29 left. He hit another 3 from the top of the arc to complete the run, making it 107-99 with 4:07 left.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Kevin Porter Jr. was ejected in the third quarter after receiving consecutive technical fouls while protesting a charging call. … Drummond received his ninth technical foul and first since joining the Cavaliers in a trade from Detroit earlier this month with 2:42 remaining in the first half. … Porter’s ejection ended his career-best streak of double-digit scoring at seven games.
Wizards: With his first steal, Beal reached 600 for his career. He remains seventh in franchise history. Wes Unseld is sixth with 628. … C Thomas Bryant played his first minutes since Feb. 3 after missing four games (sore right foot). … C Ian Mahinmi also played despite entering the game listed as questionable.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: At Miami on Saturday night.
Wizards: At Chicago on Sunday night.
