Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers
· National Basketball Association
Tomlin scores career-high 26 as Cavaliers defeat Wizards 130-117 in regular-season finale
Jaylon Tyson was two assists shy of a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Cavaliers rested most of their key players because they were locked into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Max Strus — who missed the first 67 games due to a broken left foot — played 18 minutes in the first half and had 10 points and five rebounds.
The Cavaliers (52-30) — who will face Toronto in the first round — have won 11 of their last 14 games and are 35-14 since Dec. 29. They have 15 straight wins over Washington, the second-longest winning streak against any team in franchise history.
Washington’s Jamir Watkins had a career-high 24 points, while Sharife Cooper and Bub Carrington scored 20 apiece. Carrington is the first NBA player since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2016-17 to appear in all 82 games in each of his first two seasons.
The NBA-worst Wizards (17-65) ended the season on a 10-game losing streak and dropped 26 of their last 27. Their only win during that stretch was on March 25 against Utah.
Cleveland scored a season-high 43 points in the first quarter. Tomlin's 3-pointer put the Cavaliers up 55-31 with 6:41 remaining in the second quarter before the Wizards started rallying back. They went on a 16-5 run over the last four minutes of the first half to get within 65-55 at halftime.
The Wizards pulled within 99-97 early in the fourth quarter on a driving layup by Cooper but could not tie or take the lead.
Cavaliers: Will face Toronto in the first round of the playoffs.
Regular Season Series
CLE wins series 4-0
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 117 - 130 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 117 - 130 |
| 4th 7.5 |  |
Jamir Watkins makes 1-foot running dunk (Will Riley assists) | 117 - 130 |
| 4th 8.1 | |
Will Riley defensive rebound | 115 - 130 |
| 4th 11.8 |  |
Riley Minix misses 23-foot three point jumper | 115 - 130 |
Statistics
 WSH |
 CLE |
|
|---|---|---|
| 42-90 | FG | 48-89 |
| 47 | Field Goal % | 54 |
| 18-41 | 3PT | 18-43 |
| 44 | Three Point % | 42 |
| 15-19 | FT | 16-21 |
| 79 | Free Throw % | 76 |
| 30 | Rebounds | 53 |
| 7 | Offensive Rebounds | 17 |
| 23 | Defensive Rebounds | 36 |
| 29 | Assists | 31 |
| 10 | Steals | 8 |
| 2 | Blocks | 4 |
| 12 | Turnovers | 19 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 13 | Total Turnovers | 20 |
| 1 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 1 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 13 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 26 |
| 19 | Fast Break Points | 17 |
| 34 | Points in Paint | 54 |
| 21 | Fouls | 18 |
| 0 | Largest Lead | 25 |
| 0 | Lead Changes | 0 |
| 0 | Percent Led | 99 |
Cleveland Cavaliers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Merrill, G | Day-To-Day | Oct 17 |
| Nae'Qwan Tomlin, F | Day-To-Day | Oct 13 |
| Khalifa Diop, C | Day-To-Day | Oct 13 |
Washington Wizards Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| AJ Dybantsa, F | Day-To-Day | Oct 16 |
| Tristan Vukcevic, F | Out | Oct 1 |
| Jamir Watkins, G | Out | Jul 30 |
Game Information
Location: Cleveland, OH
Attendance: 19,432 · Capacity:
2026-27 Southeast Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Atlanta |
4 | 1 | .800 | - | W4 |
 Orlando |
3 | 1 | .750 | 0.5 | W2 |
 Miami |
3 | 2 | .600 | 1 | L1 |
 Washington |
2 | 2 | .500 | 1.5 | L2 |
 Charlotte |
1 | 3 | .250 | 2.5 | L2 |
Detroit
Chicago
Milwaukee
IndianaNBA News
Knicks waive Bruce Brown, keep James Wiseman ahead of opener
The Knicks are waiving Bruce Brown and keeping James Wiseman on the roster as the team heads into its regular-season opener, sources told ESPN.
76ers, needing frontcourt help, convert 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall to two-way contract
The 76ers, dealing with injuries in the frontcourt, have converted center Tacko Fall to a two-way contract.
No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa injures ankle during Wizards' preseason finale
First overall pick AJ Dybantsa exited the Wizards' preseason finale after injuring his ankle on an awkward landing and will undergo further evaluation.