The Cleveland Cavaliers (24 - 9) defeated the Washington Wizards (15 - 18) 121 - 115 on Wednesday. Kyrie Irving has progressively improved since returning from the fractured kneecap he suffered in last season's Finals versus the Warriors. He's increased his playing time over the seven games he's played to date, and had gotten up to almost a full allotment, 29 minutes, in the Cavs' most recent contest versus the Raptors on Monday. The stage appeared set for the All-Star point guard to receive a regular share of minutes Wednesday, and Irving certainly did n't disappoint. He poured in 34 points, 19 of which came in an explosive final period, to lead Cleveland to a high - scoring victory. He also complemented the scoring with five rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals and a block, all over a robust 34 minutes that provided unequivocable proof that Irving is back at full strength and ready to contribute to a Cavs championship push. Despite his impressive performance, Irving was not the team - high scorer on the night. That honor unsurprisingly fell to LeBron James, who posted a monster 34 - point, 10 - rebound double - double. He added four assists, a steal and a block for good measure. J.R. Smith was a prolific third scoring wheel, pitching in with 25 points, three rebounds, an assist and three steals, his second straight 20 - point - plus performance. The effort included five three - pointers in 10 attempts, giving Smith an impressive 13 baskets from beyond the arc over the last two contests. Tristan Thompson continued his stretch of solid play at the center position, posting 12 points, three rebounds and an assist, while Kevin Love pitched in with eight points, nine rebounds, a pair of steals and a block. The Cavaliers improved to 24 - 9 and remain atop the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They head to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Friday. The home team received solid efforts from all five starters, and would have likely prevailed if they'd been up against almost any other team on Wednesday. They shot an outstanding 55 percent from the field, and a particularly stellar 58 from long range. The Wizards were led by Garrett Temple's 21 points. After five straight sub - par scoring efforts, it was Temple's first 20 - point - plus performance since Dec. 23 versus the Grizzlies. John Wall churned out yet another double double, tallying 20 points (including a perfect 4 for 4 from beyond the arc) and dishing out 12 assists. Meanwhile, Jared Dudley, Otto Porter, Jr. and Marcin Gortat all managed 12 - point efforts, and contributed solid shares of rebounds, assists and steals as well. Gary Neal paced the Washington reserves with 13 points, a rebound and an assist. The Wizards fell to 15 - 18 and remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They'll be at home again on Friday to take on the Toronto Raptors.
["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 18 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 15 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 9 Losses ,has 121 Total points ,has 24 Wins ."]