Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards Box Score on Dec 17, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 17, 2017

WASHINGTON -- LeBron James registered his fourth triple-double in five games with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists as the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Washington Wizards 106-99 on Sunday night.

Kevin Love led the Cavaliers (23-9) with 25 points, while Jeff Green had 15 points. Cleveland has won 18 of 19 games, including the past five.

Little separated the Eastern Conference contenders for much of the game as the teams were tied at the end of the second and third quarters. James's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter put the Cavaliers in front for good and sparked an 8-0 run. Green's three-point play capped the surge as Cleveland led 95-89 with 6:55 remaining.

Bradley Beal scored 27 points for the Wizards, who had won two in a row. John Wall had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Washington (16-14) made 12 3-pointers but finished 9 of 16 on free throws.

Cleveland shot 14 of 34 from beyond the arc, 10 of 12 at the foul line.

In Cleveland's 130-122 win at Washington on Nov. 3, James dazzled with 57 points, the second-most points he scored in any game during his 15-year NBA career, on 23-of-34 shooting.

Wizards coach Scott Brooks joked pregame that holding the four-time MVP to 56 was the goal. James didn't come close to that total while shooting 8-for-23, but he certainly controlled the action. His dazzling spin layup and subsequent free throw for a three-point play gave Cleveland its largest lead at 103-94 with 3:02 remaining.

Mike Scott had 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting off the bench for the Wizards, though he opened the third quarter with the starters in place of Markieff Morris.

Wizards starting forward Otto Porter Jr. did not play after injuring his hip Friday in a 100-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Kelly Oubre Jr. replaced Porter and had 11 points.

With the Wizards short-handed on the perimeter, Beal played the opening 20 minutes in the first half and 43 overall. Washington's leading scorer scored nine in the second quarter and 10 in the third as the teams entered the final period tied 83-83. He had two points in the fourth on 1-of-6 shooting,

Perimeter shooting dominant an exciting first half, which ended tied at 60-60. Washington sank 9 of 16 from beyond the 3-point arc while Cleveland finished with a near-identical 9 of 17.

NOTES: Cleveland G Dwyane Wade (rest) did not play. ... Wizards PG John Wall (9,787) passed Phil Chenier (9,778 from 1971-80) to move into sixth place on Washington's all-time scoring list. ... Technical fouls were rampant were in the first quarter. Cleveland G J.R. Smith, Wizards F Markieff Morris and Wizards coach Scott Brooks all received one. ... Cleveland plays at Milwaukee on Tuesday. The Cavaliers are 2-0 against the Bucks this season, including a 124-119 win on Nov. 7. ... Washington closes outs its four-game homestand Tuesday in its first meeting of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans.