Cavaliers cruise to 39-point rout of Wizards

Max Strus, Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert all eclipsed the 20-point mark and the host Cavaliers romped to a 140-101 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night (Thursday, January 4, Manila time).

Cleveland shot 53.5 percent overall and made 47.6 percent of its 3-pointers en route to its season-high point total and largest margin of victory of the campaign.

Kyle Kuzma had a team-high 16 points for the Wizards, who allowed at least 140 points for the seventh time this season.

Jordan Poole had all eight of his points early on, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Kuzma dropped in 10 points, also with two threes, as Washington went up by as much as five before temporarily gaining a 28-26 lead 8:35 into the game on a Daniel Gafford dunk.

But Sam Merrill converted a game-tying layup and Allen dunked twice in a 43-second flurry, allowing the Cavaliers to grab a lead they never relinquished.

In handing the Wizards their fifth loss in the past six games, the Cavaliers led just 67-55 at halftime before exploding away to go up by as many as 44 in the second half.

Strus shot 9-for-13 overall and 6-for-8 on 3-pointers en route to a game-high 24 points for Cleveland, which snapped a two-game losing streak.

LeVert hit half of his six 3-point attempts on a 21-point night and Georges Niang added three threes of his own in a 15-point performance, helping the hosts bury 20 of their 42 shots from beyond the arc.

Mitchell finished with 22 points, and Allen netted 17 to complement game highs in rebounds (19) and assists (seven). Merrill scored 11 points for Cleveland, which out-rebounded the visitors 62-36.

Kuzma’s 16 points came in just 23 minutes for the Wizards, who shot 41.6 percent overall and 34.3 percent from deep.

Gafford, Corey Kispert and Mike Muscala tallied 12 points apiece for Washington, which gets a shot at revenge Friday night in the finale of a same-site back-to-back. – Rappler.com