Cleveland Cavaliers (3-1) beat Washington Wizards (2-3) 121-111 at home on Wednesday, October 28, after falling far behind. The Cavaliers were down 10 at one quarter break and still finished 10 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Wizards struck first, taking the opening quarter 42-34 and a 8-point lead after one. The Wizards kept the pressure on with a 27-25 second quarter, carrying a 10-point lead into halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 33-23 to pull even, leaving the game tied at 92 entering the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 29-19; the Cavaliers finished the job for a 121-111 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Cavaliers grabbed 40.5% of their own misses, while the Wizards recovered 13.5%. The Cavaliers made 23.1 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 18.1 for the Wizards. The second chances kept adding up.
The Wizards did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 10.5 against 13.2. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 97 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 124.6 points per 100 possessions to 114.3 for the Wizards.
Who carried the comeback
Evan Mobley was the game's biggest individual force for CLE: 24 pts, 12 reb, 2 ast on 8-12 shooting. His Game Score of 21.2 led everyone. His team was -1 with him on the floor.
Alexandre Sarr led the Wizards with 18 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl on 7-11 shooting, good for a 17.8 Game Score.
Evan Mobley (24 pts, 12 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Cavaliers about a 90% chance.
Across the last 8 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 8-0.
The Cavaliers are now 3-1, and the Wizards are 2-3. The Cavaliers last five before this game: L-L-L-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.