Donovan Mitchell pours in 40 as Cavs outlast Wizards

Field Level Media|published: Wed 7th February, 21:43 2024

Feb 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) prepares to shoot over Washington Wizards center Daniel Gafford (21) during the first half at Capital One Arena. credits: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 40 points while leading the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers to a 114-106 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

Evan Mobley added 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the field for Cleveland, which extended the NBA's longest active winning streak to seven games. Darius Garland scored 13 for the Cavaliers, and Jarrett Allen contributed 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with 28 points, while Corey Kispert scored 23 off the bench. Daniel Gafford collected 14 points and 13 rebounds for Washington, which dropped its fourth straight game. Tyus Jones scored 15 points and dished out a game-high eight assists.

With the halftime score knotted at 57, the Cavaliers jumped in front with a 7-0 run to start the third quarter. Layups from Allen and Mobley were followed by a 3-pointer from Mobley.

From there, Kuzma's three-point play capped a 17-4 Washington scoring run, and the Wizards led 74-68 with 5:21 left in the third.

Cleveland finished the quarter on a 12-5 run, with Mitchell's floater in the final second giving the Cavaliers an 80-79 advantage.

In the fourth quarter, Kispert's and-one followed by a Delon Wright 3-pointer gave the Wizards a 90-88 lead with 9:28 left.

Mitchell responded with a three-point play, giving Cleveland a lead it would not relinquish. The game-changing play began a 9-0 Cavaliers run.

Jones' jumper cut Washington's deficit to four points with 2:59 left before Mitchell once again responded, this time with a 3-pointer.

Cleveland made all six of its free throws in the final minute to cement the eight-point victory.

Facing an early 20-13 deficit, Cleveland charged back and led 37-32 with 9:43 left in the first half.

From there, back-to-back triples from Kispert and Landry Shamet jumpstarted a 10-0 Wizard surge.

With the score knotted at 55, Mitchell and Deni Avdija traded buckets in the last 12 seconds of the first half, tying the game at 57 entering the break.

Mitchell led Cleveland with 19 points in the first half, while Kuzma paced the Wizards with 18 first-half points.

—Field Level Media