Ramon Sessions scored 27 points in his return to the starting lineup and J.J. Hickson had 15 and 13 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided history with a 100-93 home victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
Cleveland finished the regular season with a 19-63 mark, two games better than the Minnesota Timberwolves, and avoided becoming the first team in NBA history to finish with the league’s worst record just one season after earning the best.
The Cavaliers trailed by 12 points after the first quarter but spent the rest of the night digging out of the early hole.
They scored 10 of the first 12 points of the fourth quarter to take the lead, and Anthony Parker hit a 3-pointer in the final two minutes to seal the win. Sessions started in place of Baron Davis, who missed the finale with back spasms.
Andray Blatche had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Wizards after grabbing 16 offensive rebounds in a victory over the Cavaliers two weeks ago. Maurice Evans added 15 points for the Wizards (23-59), including a league-worst 3-38 on the road.
Washington | Cleveland | |
Andray Blatche 20 | Scoring | Ramon Sessions 27 |
Jordan Crawford 6 | Assists | Manny Harris 5 |
Yi Jianlian 12 | Rebounds | J.J. Hickson 13 |
Andray Blatche 6 | Free Throws Made | Ramon Sessions 11 |
John Wall 4 | Steals | Daniel Gibson 1 |
JaVale McGee 2 | Blocks | Daniel Gibson 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Washington | 93 | 43.3 | 4-12 | 11-15 | 24 | 44 | 10 | 11 | 16 |
Cleveland | 100 | 42.2 | 5-21 | 25-29 | 23 | 40 | 6 | 3 | 13 |