Kyrie Irving guides Cleveland Cavaliers to victory in season opener against Washington Wizards – NBA Recap
Kyrie Irving, the Rookie of the year from the past NBA season, got his season to a great start by scoring 29 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers, helping them secure a victory over the travelling Washington Wizards.
Irving lived up to the expectations placed on him by the franchise and the city to become its leading star and almost single handedly led his team to a 94-84 victory in the end. Irving had 6 rebounds and 3 assists to go with his 29 points, going 11 of 20 from the field and 3 of 6 from the distance. Anderson Varejao had 9 points, 23 rebounds and 9 assists for the night as he helped the Cavs on the defensive end. Jordan Crawford was the top scorer for the Wizards, coming off the bench to score 11 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds.
The first quarter was balanced in terms of play, with both teams finding their rhythm early on in a high scoring period. Cleveland had the edge early on, with Irving scoring 12 points in the first period alone to help his team take a 31-24 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cavs kept the momentum alive in the second period as they went on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 46-31, but Washington quickly relied with a 6-0 run of their own to cut into the lead. The Cavs held a comfortable 50-39 lead at halftime.
Cleveland kept the offensive momentum alive in the early going of the third period, and a three pointer by Irving followed by a dunk by Dion Waiters put them up 61-45, giving them the largest lead of the night. The Cavs kept a double digit lead throughout the rest of the period and led 74-62 going into the final period.
Washington came back strongly in the early going of the final period and opened with a 14-0 run capped off by a three point shot by Jannero Pargo to take a 76-74 lead with 8:12 left in the game. The Cavs missed their first six shots from the field and committed four turnovers to open the final period, but got things moving after Irving was brought back into the game after being benched for the beginning of the period.
The Cavs took back the lead through a three point shot by Waiters, and a jump shot by Irving later on, gave them an 86-80 lead. Tristan Thompson then scored three straight dunks and followed it with a free throw to give the Cavs a definitive 93-84 lead. Washington failed to score in the final 1:49 of the game and the Cavs secured a 94-84 victory.
Cleveland shot 45.6 percent from the field and were 7 of 20 from the distance for the night. The Wizards on the other hand shot 35.6 percent from the field and 8 of 32 from the distance. Cleveland also had a 54-39 advantage in rebounds thanks to a valiant effort by Varejao, who finished with 23 rebounds for the night. Cleveland, however, committed 20 turnovers over the course of the game compared to only 12 for Washington.
Tags: