Dion Waiters impresses in NBA debut with Cavs

When the Cavaliers selected Dion Waiters with the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, many thought that they had made a mistake. However, despite a rocky start to his career in the summer league and preseason, Waiters looked impressive in Cavs' 94-84 win over the Wizards. Waiters put up 17 points to finish as Cleveland's second leading scorer, and appeared to work well with back court mate Kyrie Irving. The two combined for the team's first 17 points to open the second half.

Waiters, a guard out of Syracuse, was also starting his first game since high school, as he worked as a sixth man for the Orange. He had the ball in his hands for significant stretches of the game, which is somewhat surprising considering how good Irving is, but to his credit, Irving seems to see the value of having multiple capable ball handlers:

"Having two guys out there being aggressive on the ball, he has the ability to create his own shot, that just opens more lanes for me," Irving said before the game. "I don’t mind going off the ball. I’m looking forward to it."

The Cavs play next on Friday night, when they host the Chicago Bulls.

Wizards vs. Cavs: Anderson Varejao pulls down career-high 23 rebounds

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao put up an impressive stat line in the Cavs' season opening 94-84 win over the Washington Wizards: nine points, 23 rebounds (12 of which were offensive rebounds), and nine assists. Not bad for a guy playing in his first real basketball game since February due to a broken wrist.

Varejao is known for his high energy style of play, and Tuesday night's performance was typical of that. Head coach Byron Scott asked his team to play with a lot of energy, so it was nothing new or different for Varejao:

"So I just tried to do my job," he said. "Be active. And it was one of those nights when you get one, two, three, and [rebounds] keep coming. It was fun."

Scott joked after the game that he asked the referees to extend the game by five minutes, so Varejao could pick up the triple double he just barely missed out on.

Only one other player since 1985 has had a game where they've pulled in 12 offensive rebounds and dished out nine assists. That player was Charles Barkley, and now Varejao joins him.

The Cavs play again on Friday night, when they host the Chicago Bulls.

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Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao come up big in Cleveland's win over Washington to tip off the NBA regular season.

Wizards vs. Cavs score update: Kyrie Irving has Cavs rolling early, 50-39

Irving and rookie Dion Waiters push Cavs to quick start against Washington.

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Preview and TV schedule for the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards matchup on Oct. 30, 2012.