RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Cleveland Cavaliers coach Randy Wittman has
repeatedly stressed the importance of hustle.
The Cavaliers followed Wittman's formula Saturday night.
Cleveland squandered an 18-point lead, then hustled for a 16-0
run in the fourth quarter that sealed an 86-73 victory over the
Washington Wizards.
"We have to play a lot of defense and hustle to win," Robert
Traylor said after scoring six points in the decisive run. "It was
going to be embarrassing to lose this game, so I just wanted to
come out and play as hard as I could and hope the rest of the team
did, too."
Zydrunas Ilgauskas led Cleveland with 21 points, and Traylor
scored 10 on 5-for-5 shooting from the field, as the Cavaliers
rebounded from a 115-88 loss Friday night in Toronto.
Richard Hamilton scored 16 points for Washington, which lost its
third straight and fell to 2-6.
Cleveland survived a disastrous third quarter that saw
Washington turn a 13-point halftime deficit into a four-point lead.
"That was as bad basketball as you can play," Wittman said.
"We got selfish to start it, and once they made their run, we got
tight out there and could not make plays, couldn't catch the
ball."
Trajan Langdon began Cleveland's comeback by making his first
two free throws of the season, giving the Cavaliers a 65-63 lead.
Traylor followed with two baskets on power moves inside to make it
69-63 with 6:12 to play.
"I saw (the Wizards) hang their heads a little there and that's
when I knew we had them," Traylor said.
Ilgauskas hit two more free throws, and Matt Harpring and
Traylor each finished off fast breaks for a 75-63 lead with 4:10
left.
"We didn't sub much in the second half and that's probably a
mistake on my part," Wizards rookie coach Leonard Hamilton said.
"I asked them if they wanted to stay in. We just didn't have
enough to finish the game."
Washington's backcourt tandem of Mitch Richmond and Rod
Strickland each scored four points to spark a 21-2 run at the start
of the second half that gave the Wizards a 58-52 lead. Juwan
Howard, who finished with 13 points, had eight points in the
quarter, which ended with Washington ahead, 60-56.
"We felt we had enough left for the victory," Richmond said.
"We turned it up on defense, but then couldn't do anything on
offense."
Cleveland shot 1-for-16 from the field in the third quarter,
going scoreless for a span of 7:26. The Cavaliers entered the game
second to Utah in field-goal percentage, hitting 47 percent in
winning four of their first five games.
Ilgauskas scored 11 points to help Cleveland to a 49-31 lead
with 3:33 left in the first half. Washington managed to stay close
by outscoring the Cavaliers from the foul line, 14-4, in the first
half.
Game
notes
Cleveland guard Wesley Person did not play because of a
right elbow contusion. He is listed as day-to-day. ... Cavs guard
Bimbo Coles suffered a cut above his left eye with 9:49 to play and
did not return. ... Cleveland's six-point third quarter approached
the franchise low of five in the first quarter of a 1990 game in
Chicago. ... The Wizards are 4-22 in their last 26 games in
Cleveland. Washington leads the all-time series, 78-72, including
48-26 at home. ... Washington's 73 points is the Wizards' season
low and fewest allowed by Cleveland.
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