NBA recap: Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving has the best game of the season against the Wizards

Kyrie Irving logged in his best game of the season since returning from an injury to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 121-115 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday (Thursday in Australia).

Irving had 32 points on an efficient 14-of-22 shooting, and LeBron James had 34 points and 10 rebounds to give the Cavaliers their fifth win in a row and improve to 24-9 for the season, still the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Wizards had the slim 26-24 lead after the first quarter but was outscored 38-24 in the crucial second quarter when the Cavaliers earned the 52-40 advantage at halftime.

Washington fought back and tied the game at 95-95 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers responded with an 11-0 run to gain the double-digit advantage halfway through the final quarter. The Wizards never threatened Cavaliers again and the latter cruised to victory.

Cavs shooter J.R. Smith added 25 points and 5-of-10 field goals from behind the arc, while Kevin Love had 8 points and 9 rebounds.

The losing side had all of their starters in double figure scoring led by Garrett Temple’s 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Irving’s star PG counterpart John Wall posted a double-double of 20 points and 12 assists but had 7 turnovers.

Washington has lost back-to-back games and four of their last five games. They will host the Toronto Raptors on Friday before their road games against the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers can extend their winning streak in the next two games facing the struggling teams Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

It gets tougher after that for James, Irving and company as they finish a five-game road trip versus the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets in their next three games.