Cavs rout Wizards; take series lead

Game 2 of the best of seven set is scheduled for Wednesday in Cleveland.

LeBron James added 23 points, nine boards and seven assists for the second- seeded Cavaliers, who eliminated Washington in the first round of last year’s conference playoffs. Zydrunas Ilgauskas chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Drew Gooden finished with 10 points.

"I am ready to step up on any given night," Hughes said. "This is only one game and we have to keep pushing. We have a chance to take control now."

Antawn Jamison had a game-high 28 points and 14 boards for the short-handed Wizards, who are without injured All-Stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler. Jarvis Hayes was the only other Washington player in double figures with 18 points.

"Antawn was really going well in the post and he did some things on the perimeter that helped us," said Washington head coach Eddie Jordan. "It was a game."

The Cavs entered the final frame with a seven-point cushion and slowly started to pull away. Ilgauskus’ 18-foot jumper from the left corner gave Cleveland an 85-73 lead with 7:27 left.

About two minutes later, Ilgauskus deposited a pair from the charity stripe to give the Cavs a more than comfortable 15-point cushion, 89-74.

The Wizards never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way as Cleveland coasted to the finish line.

"It’s all about the team that wins four games," said James. "We got one game out of the way and we have three more."

James got loose for two early layups in the opening minutes and the Cavs raced out to an early 11-4 advantage. Washington recovered a bit from there and drew within a point, 11-10, when Hayes converted a four-point play with just under eight minutes to go in the opening frame.

The Cavs rebounded, however, and finished the stanza strongly, taking a 27-20 edge into the second quarter.

Cleveland led by as many as nine points, 40-31, in the second after Donyell Marshall drained a three with 4:49 left and took a seven-point lead into the locker room, 48-41.

The Wizards drew within two, 54-52, when Jamison nailed a jumper with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the third. But, the Cavs responded again and opened up a double-digit lead, 74-63, when James dropped in a free throw with under a minute left in the frame.

Antonio Daniels scored the final four points in the frame, however, to make things manageable, 74-67, for the Wizards heading into the fourth quarter.

"When it was time to make plays, I thought, we missed a layup," said Jordan. "Their defense was good, but we’ve got to finish the plays. Whether it was good defense or great defense, we’ve got to find a way to make an open shot, finish a layup, that’s all."

Game Notes

The Cavs got a big scare with 8:03 left in the third when James rolled his left ankle. The superstar nailed a mid-range jumper and came down on the foot of Etan Thomas. He rolled around in pain on the floor but composed himself and remained in the game after a time out...Washington is in the postseason for a third consecutive year and is meeting Cleveland in the playoffs for the fourth time. The only time Washington defeated the Cavaliers in the postseason was when it took two of three games in the first round of the 1977 NBA Playoffs.