Tomas Satoransky, who is starting in place of injured Washington All-Star guard John Wall, scored 17 points, as did Kelly Oubre Jr. Otto Porter had 15 points for the Wizards, who piled up 29 assists.
LeBron James had 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Cleveland, which had a four-game winning streak end. JR Smith scored 15 and Tristan Thompson finished with 12 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Washington shot 44 of 92 (47.8 percent) from the field and won the rebound battle 43-36. Cleveland shot 50 percent from the floor, 42 of 84.
The revamped Cavaliers had received a boost by acquiring George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. at the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
Hill made a layup and free throw Thursday that gave the Cavaliers a 62-59 cushion early in the third quarter. The Wizards responded and retook a 66-64 lead on a short jumper by Beal.
James went to the bench late in the third quarter. The Wizards took advantage, and a jumper by Satoransky provided an 82-79 lead heading into the final period.
James re-entered with 8:32 left in the game. However, Washington stayed in control, and a 3-pointer by Oubre provided a 95-89 margin with 6:35 remaining.
A short jumper by Ian Mahinmi capped a 9-0 Washington run, and the Cavaliers were forced to call a timeout. A pair of free throws by Jodie Meeks provided the Wizards with a 104-93 lead with just under four minutes remaining.
James scored 12 consecutive points for the Cavaliers, and his layup pulled them within 104-101 with 1:13 left. However, a layup by Beal gave Washington a 108-103 lead to help seal the victory.
Wizards guard Tim Frazier was back in the lineup and wore a protective mask over his broken nose. He finished with two points in 12 minutes.
--Field Level Media
Washington | Cleveland | |
Bradley Beal 18 | Scoring | LeBron James 32 |
Bradley Beal 9 | Assists | LeBron James 8 |
Markieff Morris 8 | Rebounds | LeBron James 9 |
Tomas Satoransky 4 | Free Throws Made | LeBron James 5 |
Markieff Morris 2 | Steals | LeBron James 2 |
Bradley Beal 2 | Blocks | JR Smith 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Washington | 110 | 47.8 | 12-30 | 10-10 | 29 | 43 | 3 | 9 | 11 |
Cleveland | 103 | 50.0 | 8-35 | 11-19 | 20 | 36 | 2 | 5 | 13 |