Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30) beat Washington Wizards (17-65) 130-117 at home on Sunday, April 12, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Cavaliers had the better start, winning the first 43-21 to lead by 22 after one. The Wizards cut into the deficit with a 34-22 second quarter, though the Cavaliers still led by 10 at halftime.
The Wizards won the third 40-34 to stay in front, taking a 4-point lead into the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 31-22; the Cavaliers finished the job for a 130-117 regulation win.
What decided it
The Cavaliers grabbed 42.5% of their own misses, while the Wizards recovered 16.3%. The Cavaliers got more from their shots, finishing at 64% effective field-goal shooting compared with 56.7% for the Wizards. The second chances kept adding up.
The Wizards did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 11.6 against 19. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 127.7 points per 100 possessions to 114.9 for the Wizards.
Who made the difference
Nae'Qwan Tomlin was the game's biggest individual force for CLE: 26 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast on 9-16 shooting. His Game Score of 25.3 led everyone. His team was +3 with him on the floor.
Jamir Watkins led the Wizards with 24 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast on 7-13 shooting, good for a 19.9 Game Score.
Tyrese Proctor (22 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Cavaliers about a 95% chance.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 7-0.
The Cavaliers are now 52-30, and the Wizards are 17-65. The Cavaliers last five before this game: W-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.