Dybantsa scores 19 in his debut, but the Wizards fall at Cleveland

CLEVELAND, AJ Dybantsa waited four games for his first NBA minutes. He needed about four of them to show why the Wizards made him the No. 1 overall pick.

In 27 minutes Wednesday night at Rocket Arena, Dybantsa made eight of his 12 shots and finished with a team-high 19 points. The Wizards still lost 121-111 to the Cavaliers after leading by 13, but the rookie was the reason most of the building was watching.

The Wizards took Dybantsa out of BYU with the first pick in the 2026 draft and then had to wait on him. He sprained his left ankle in the preseason and missed the first four regular-season games. He was listed as questionable, took shots on the floor once the morning shootaround wrapped up, and was upgraded to available following a report from ESPN's Shams Charania that he would play.

Earlier in the week, coach Brian Keefe described his rookie as "progressing in a very positive way." The Wizards did not announce a minutes limit, and he started.

The line was efficient for a first night on the road: 8-for-12 from the floor, 1-for-3 from three, 2-for-2 at the line, two rebounds, two assists and two turnovers. He picked up four fouls. Washington was outscored by three points with him on the floor, tied with Alex Sarr for the best mark among the starters other than Trae Young.

The problem was everyone else's rebounding. Cleveland won the rebounding battle 47-27, including a 15-5 edge on the offensive glass. Evan Mobley had a game-high 24 points to go with 12 rebounds, and the Cavaliers outscored the Wizards 62-42 after halftime to win their third straight.

For Washington, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr added 18 apiece, and Bilal Coulibaly had 17 off the bench on 8-for-9 shooting. Young had eight assists and 14 points on 3-for-12 shooting. The loss dropped the Wizards to 2-3.

Dybantsa gets his home debut Friday. Charlotte visits Capital One Arena at 7 p.m. on MNMT, the first of five games in nine days: at Orlando on Monday at 7:30, Atlanta at home Wednesday at 7, at Atlanta on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7, and at Oklahoma City on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 8.