WASHINGTON -- John Wall took over in the third quarter Friday night and finished 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and the hustling Washington Wizards clamped down for a 91-78 win over LeBron James and the mostly flatfooted Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost their third straight to fall back below .500.
Resuming a rivalry that peaked last decade when the Wizards and James' Cavaliers met three consecutive years in the playoffs -- it was so intense that both Jay-Z and Soulja Boy got involved -- the Wizards grabbed a majority of the 50-50 rebounds and capitalized on the defensive woes that have hurt Cleveland.
James scored 22 points on 8-for-21 shooting, but Cleveland committed 19 turnovers, shot 36 percent and scored a season-low in points. James was never below .500 more than 10 games into a season during his four seasons with the Miami Heat, but he and the Cavaliers are now 5-6 (see full recap).
Gasol leads Grizzlies past Celtics
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Marc Gasol matched his career high with 32 points, Zach Randolph added 16 points and 16 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Boston Celtics 117-100 on Friday night.
Jon Leuer had a season-high 19 points, and Mike Conley finished with 15 points and eight assists for Memphis, which shot 53 percent from the field. Gasol led the way, going 13 for 22.
Kelly Olynyk led Boston with 18 points. Jared Sullinger had 13 points, Jeff Green added 12, while Avery Bradley and Marcus Thornton finished with 11 points each. Evan Turner added 10.
Memphis never trailed in the game and led by 21 in the fourth quarter, the advantage fueled by a 9-0 run (see full recap).
NBA
Mavs erupt in win over Lakers
DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points in yet another efficient shooting effort and the Dallas Mavericks used the NBA's highest-scoring offense to roll to a 140-106 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
The Mavericks won their sixth straight game overall and fourth in a row against the Lakers, who were swept by Dallas in the regular season for the first time in 2013-14.
Nowitzki, Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons were a combined 23 of 33 from the field as the Mavericks had season highs in points, shooting percentage (62 percent) and assists (37). Parsons had 21 points and Ellis scored 20.
Kobe Bryant missed his first eight shots and was 6 of 22 for 17 points. Jeremy Lin had 18 to lead the Lakers, who came in with their first two-game winning streak (see full recap).