NBA: Cavaliers rest core players, deal another defeat to Wizards

Nae'Qwan Tomlin scored a career-high 26 points and rookie Tyrese Proctor added 22 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists as the playoff-bound Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the visiting Washington Wizards 130-117 on Sunday afternoon.

Jaylon Tyson contributed 18 points, while rookie Tristan Enaruna added a season-high 15 points for Cleveland, which finished the regular season with a 52-30 record and secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers seized control early, opening a commanding 43-21 lead after the first quarter and maintaining a wire-to-wire advantage.

Cleveland will now hold home-court advantage in its first-round playoff series against the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors.

For Washington, rookie guard Jamir Watkins delivered a career-best 24 points in a losing effort. Bub Carrington finished with 20 points and nine assists, while Sharife Cooper also scored 20 points and added six assists off the bench.

Cleveland’s balanced attack saw eight players score in double figures, including a career-high 12 points from Riley Minix and 10 points from Olivier Sarr, both on two-way contracts. The Cavaliers used their 41st different starting lineup of the season, resting most of their regular rotation except for Max Strus and Tyson.

The team’s core stars—Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen—participated in fan appreciation night festivities but did not feature heavily in the contest.

With both teams having little at stake, each side dressed only nine players. Washington’s Carrington extended his consecutive games streak to 164, becoming the first player to appear in every game across his first two seasons since Karl-Anthony Towns did so with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2015 to 2017.

The Wizards trimmed the deficit in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 95-93 after a Carrington three-pointer with 1:26 remaining. However, Proctor responded with 10 points in the fourth quarter as Cleveland closed out the game, outscoring Washington 31-22.

Washington briefly surged late in the first half when Carrington sparked a personal 9-0 run with back-to-back three-pointers and a free throw, pulling the Wizards within 65-55 at halftime. He scored 12 points in the quarter, while Tyson led Cleveland with 14 points and Tomlin added 13.

Cleveland built its early dominance in the first quarter behind Tyson’s 11 points and Strus’ eight, racing out to a 25-point lead. Washington received seven points apiece from Watkins and Anthony Gill in the opening frame.

The Cavaliers, who fell to the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals, enter the postseason with minimal injury concerns. Center Thomas Bryant (left calf strain) is listed as questionable, according to head coach Kenny Atkinson.

Cleveland has now won 16 consecutive games against Washington, marking the second-longest winning streak in franchise history against a single opponent, behind a 17-game run against the Orlando Magic from 2013 to 2017. -Field Level Media/Reuters