Wizards blow 13-point lead, fall 121-111 in Cleveland as Cavaliers own the glass

CLEVELAND — The Wizards led for nearly three quarters of Wednesday night's game at Rocket Arena and still walked out with a 121-111 loss to the Cavaliers, their second straight defeat.

Washington came out firing, putting up 42 points in the first quarter to take a 42-34 lead, and carried a 69-59 advantage into halftime. The Wizards' largest lead was 13, and they led for 74 percent of the game. But Cleveland outscored them 33-23 in the third quarter to tie it at 92 heading into the fourth, then closed with a 29-19 final period.

Rebounding told the story

The numbers that decided it were on the boards. Cleveland outrebounded Washington 47-27 and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to the Wizards' five. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen each pulled down 12 rebounds, and Peyton Watson added five offensive boards by himself.

The Wizards actually shot better from the field, 53 percent to Cleveland's 47 percent, and outscored the Cavaliers 66-46 in the paint. But Washington went just 8-for-32 from three-point range (25 percent), while Cleveland hit 14 of 38 (37 percent). The Cavaliers were also nearly perfect at the free-throw line, going 21-for-22.

Mobley led all scorers with 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 5-of-6 from three, to go with his 12 rebounds. Watson scored 22, Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and seven assists, and James Harden added 16 points and six assists despite going 5-for-18 from the floor.

Dybantsa leads balanced Wizards attack

Rookie AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick out of BYU in the 2026 draft, paced Washington with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting in 27 minutes. Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr each scored 18, with Sarr going 7-for-11 and adding four steals. Davis had five rebounds and two blocks.

Bilal Coulibaly was efficient off the bench with 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting, plus two steals and two blocks. Deandre Ayton made all five of his shots for 10 points in 12 minutes.

Kyshawn George handed out 11 assists to lead the Wizards but shot 0-for-4 from three. Trae Young had 14 points and eight assists but struggled from the field, finishing 3-for-12 overall and 1-for-7 from deep, while going 7-for-7 at the line. Young also committed four of Washington's 10 turnovers.

Washington finished with 31 assists on 44 made field goals, and took care of the ball better than Cleveland, which turned it over 13 times.

What's next

The loss drops the Wizards to 2-3 overall and 1-2 on the road. They sit third in the Southeast Division, a game behind Charlotte. Cleveland improved to 3-1, with a perfect 3-0 mark at home, and has won three straight.

The Wizards return home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. ET.