WASHINGTON – Mo Williams scored 10 of his 28 points in the final four minutes to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 107-102 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
In a wild game that featured 16 lead changes and 12 ties, Williams gave Cleveland the lead for good with two free throws with 2:07 to play, making it 97-95. Daniel Gibson, who had 19 points, followed with a 3-pointer with 1:33 to play for a five-point advantage.
Al Thornton scored 23 points and Kirk Hinrich 21 for Washington. Rookie John Wall had 13 points and 10 assists.
Hinrich's 3-pointer with 3:16 to play gave the Wizards a 95-93 lead before Cleveland went on a decisive 10-0 run for its second road victory in two nights. The Cavaliers won in Philadelphia on Friday night.
The Wizards had six players in double figures — all five starters and Gilbert Arenas.
Arenas scored 13 points in his first regular-season game at home since Jan. 2. Arenas, who was suspended the final 50 games of the season for bringing guns into the Verizon Center locker room, missed nine of 13 field goal attempts.
After missing the first three games with a strained tendon in his right ankle, Arenas scored 18 points in a loss on Friday night in New York.
Washington coach Flip Saunders indicated that for the time being, Arenas would begin games on the bench, making it easier to regulate his minutes.
When Arenas entered with 2:15 remaining in the first quarter, he received mild applause from the crowd of 14,422. Even with Wall, the Wizards are certainly not shying away from promoting Arenas, who adorned the cover of the game program.
These teams met in the playoffs for three straight seasons, and barely 2½ years after their last postseason encounter, they've both changed radically. Not one player who started on Saturday also started that final playoff game.
Cleveland shot a sizzling 56.8 percent in the first half and had a 59-51 lead.
Hinrich had 17 points, but the highlight of the half was provided by Wall. After Williams scored with 2.1 seconds remaining, Wall dribbled the length of the court and dunked just after the half officially ended.
NOTES: Cleveland F Antawn Jamison missed his third straight game with a sore knee. Jamison was traded by the Wizards to the Cavaliers last February after 6½ seasons in Washington. He has yet to play in Washington since the deal. Coach Byron Scott hopes Jamison will be able to play in Cleveland's next game, on Tuesday in New Jersey. "That gives us another few days to work on it," Scott said. "It's getting better. It's just a real slow process." ... Wall became the first rookie with seven or more assists in his first five games since Oscar Robertson. Robertson began his career in 1960-61 with 10 straight games of seven or more assists. ... Cavaliers C Anderson Varejao was assessed a third-quarter technical foul. ... Washington had won its last five home games against Cleveland.
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