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Wizards vs. Cavs final score: Cavs open season with impressive 94-84 win

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

Jason Miller

The Cleveland Cavaliers opened the NBA season in spectacular fashion with a 94-84 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Kyrie Irving led the Cavs throughout the game, finishing with a game-high 29 points and six rebounds. Rookie Dion Waiters also added 17 points in his NBA debut. Whenever the Cavs missed a shot, it appeared that Anderson Varejao was there to clean up the mess. The Cavs' center finished the game with nine points, nine assists and 23 rebounds including 12 on the offensive glass.

The Cavs took a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter after leading for most of the game up to that point. But Washington rallied to begin the fourth, using a 16-0 run to take the lead, thanks to a seven-point outburst by reserve guard Jannero Pargo.

The Cavs fought back behind Irving and Varejao, with second-year forward Tristan Thompson adding eight points down the stretch including three consecutive dunks to help put away the Wizards. Thompson finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Washington finished the game with just two players scoring in double figures, with Jordan Crawford leading the team off the bench with 11 points and five assists despite missing all six of his 3-point shot attempts and shooting only 4-for-13 overall.

The Cavs face an early test in their next game on Friday when they host the Chicago Bulls.

Photographs by spatulated, Triple Tri, and chrischappelear used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.