The Cleveland Cavaliers aim to maintain their perfect start while playing back-to-back, facing the Washington Wizards on Saturday. Dean Wade and Donovan Mitchell both scored 19 points, leading six Cavaliers in double figures for a 113-101 home win against the Detroit Pistons on Friday. Jarrett Allen added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Evan Mobley followed his 25-point game in the Cavaliers’ 136-106 win at Toronto with 16 points against Detroit.
Cleveland, off to a 2-0 start under new coach Kenny Atkinson, has shown balanced shooting and ball movement, recording 29 assists against Toronto and 28 against Detroit. Darius Garland and Mitchell led the assist tally on Friday, while Ty Jerome added 13 points and four assists off the bench.
Washington, coming off a franchise-worst 15-67 record in 2023-24, started their 2024-25 season with a 122-102 loss to the Boston Celtics. Jordan Poole scored 26 points, but only Kyle Kuzma also hit double figures, scoring 12 points. Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and five rebounds in his Wizards debut.
In a likely rebuilding season, Washington’s starting lineup featured second-year player Bilal Coulibaly and rookies Carlton Carrington and Alexandre Sarr. Carrington had three points, three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in his NBA debut, while Sarr contributed two points, five rebounds, and two blocks. Another rookie, Kyshawn George, added four points, three rebounds, and two assists off the bench.
