WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Cleveland Cavaliers came out of the gates a bit cold in B.B Bickerstaff's first game as Cleveland's head coach. The Wizards led by as many as 16 points in the first half, lighting up the Cavs defense for 66 points by halftime. Following halftime, the pesky Cavaliers trimmed the Washington Wizards lead down to 6 going into the final quarter, before outscoring the Wiz by 10 points en route to a 113-108 victory.
Cleveland gained their first lead of the game on a Darius Garland three-ball with just over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Once gaining the lead, the Cavaliers maintained it thanks to the hot hands of Garland and Sexton. Tristan Thompson provided the energy for the Cavaliers on the defensive side of the ball, coming up with two monster blocks down the stretch to take the energy completely out of the arena. Darius Garland had an outstanding +/- of +17 points. Second-year point guard Collin Sexton led all Cavaliers in scoring with 25 points on 8-17 shooting from the field.
The Washington Wizards ranb their offense through Bradley Beal, who struggled to find consistency on offense throughout most of the game. Beal finished the game with 26 points on 9-28 shooting. Rookie forward out of Gonzaga University Rui Hachimura chipped in 17 points and pulled in 7 boards.
The Cleveland Cavaliers start the second half of the season with a victory as the Bickerstaff era officially begins. The Cavaliers will travel to Miami to take on the Heat on the second night of a back-to-back. Tip-off on Saturday is set for 8:00 pm ET at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Check out highlights from tonight's victory below!