Cavs defeat Wizards 135-116
The Cavs open the season 3-0 with a convincing win in the nation’s capital.
On the second game of a back to back, Darius Garland (23 points, five assists) and Donovan Mitchell (30 points, five assists) paced the Cleveland Cavaliers to a dominating 135-116 win over the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital. The Cavs now open the season 3-0 for the first time since 2020-2021, making the most of a soft starting stretch.
After a relatively slow start in his first two games, Mitchell burst out and led the Cavs in scoring. Garland shot a very efficient 9-11 to aid in the effort and Jarrett Allen even beat that with a perfect 10-10 from the floor. For Allen, it helps tremendously when you have some guards who can distribute the ball like this:
→ 3️⃣1️⃣ → @dariusgarland22 → @_bigjayy_ | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/hqYEIWYcFb
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 27, 2024
Evan Mobley, who had an eye-popping start to the season in a transformed role, had a down offensive game but scooped up 13 rebounds and registered two blocks. Dean Wade, the star against the Detroit Pistons in the home opener at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, failed to register a three-point make. Thankfully, it didn't matter.
The big story, however, is Mitchell breaking out of his shell with a 30-point explosion. After scoring just seven points in the first half, Mitchell pulled out the full arsenal by getting to the rack and drilling three-pointers off the dribble. It was a welcome sight, even though the Cavs survived in the first two games while Mitchell was not playing at his best. With the schedule tightening up starting Monday against the New York Knicks, getting Mitchell into a flow is good to see.
Cleveland heads to New York to play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden a game that should be more competitive than the one tonight against Washington.