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The Cleveland Cavaliers used a boost from their young backcourt to take an early lead over the visiting Washington Wizards, finishing the first half with a 50-39 lead at Quicken Loans Arena.
Second-year point guard Kyrie Irving paced the Cavs with 14 first-half points, which included two 3-point field goals. Irving's rookie running mate in the backcourt, Dion Waiters, added 8 points in his NBA regular season debut. The pair combined to score the first 9 points for Cleveland to put the Cavs in the lead.
The Cavs took a 6-point lead after the first quarter and then midway through the second quarter, went on an 8-1 run to extend the lead to double digits.
Center Emeka Okafor paced the Wizards in the first half with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Rookie guard Bradley Beal also pitched in 8 points for Washington. Point guard A.J. Price started the game for Washington in place of injured star John Wall.