LeBron’s third straight triple-double paces the Cavs to a 106-99 win over the Wizards

The Washington Wizards still haven’t figured out what to do with LeBron James as his triple-double was the difference in a 106-99 win on Sunday night.

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar forward LeBron James hung 57 points on the Washington Wizards in their last meeting on November 3. On Sunday, James continued his D.C. dominance, collecting his third-straight triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists), in a 106-99 win over the Wizards Sunday night.

Cavs forward Kevin Love was one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring a team-high 25 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

John Wall recorded a double-double on a milestone night with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Wizards guard Bradley Beal scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-27 shooting.

Washington has now dropped four of their last five games against Cleveland.

Here’s what happened in their last showdown.

Top 5 Wall

Wall struggled shooting (6-of-16), but that didn’t stop him from making history on Sunday night. On this three-pointer, he passed Wizards legend Phil Chenier for fifth all-time on the team’s scoring list.

The four-time All Star is quickly rising up the franchise record books and is looking to round into shape after complications with his troublesome knee.

Against the Cavs, he showed flashes of his star ability (10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks), but he’s just not there yet. His main issue right now is conditioning as he came out with 11 points and six rebounds at the half.  He scored just four points in the last two quarters.

He hasn’t found his rhythm, and until he does, the team won’t win close games against powerhouse teams.

Villain LeBron Returns

Despite being widely regarded as the best player in the world, James goes about his business like a professional on most nights. On certain occasions, however, the lights are a bit brighter (such as New York City’s Madison Square Garden) and he turns up his level of trolling to match the ambiance. Washington serves as one of these venues, as James has historically broken Wizards’ fans hearts both in the regular season as well as playoffs.

A month after setting a Capital One Arena scoring record, James casually controlled the action on Sunday and flashed his all-around game, while taking time to talk back to fans sitting courtside. He led both teams in rebounds and assists.

Washington forward Otto Porter didn’t play due to a sore hip, so most of the night was devoted to keeping multiple eyes on James. The four-time league MVP took full advantage of this strategy and found open teammates the entire first half.

James barely looked for his own shot and ended the first half with nine points and eight assists. In fact, the team was so balanced offensively that every player who entered the game scored at least one field goal and the team shot over 50 percent.

The second half proved much of the same for James and company as he increasingly became more aggressive on offense. Though he didn’t shoot the ball as well as his 57-point onslaught last month, he buried the home team with his pinpoint passing.

This ridiculous outlet pass in the fourth quarter stunned those in attendance and propelled Cleveland to a late run.

Late in the fourth, James took matters into his own hands and all but sealed the victory with a pirouetting and-1 finish that pushed the Cavs lead to 103-94

Scott Continues to Play Well

Mike Scott is having one of the best offensive stretches of his six-year career. That hot streak continued against the Cleveland as he scored 19 points off the bench on an efficient 8-of-14 shooting.

He made an immediate impact for Washington in the first quarter as the team struggled, shooting just 36 percent from the floor.  But Scott’s eight points were important in keeping pace with Cleveland’s sizzling hot shooters.

Scott played 33 minutes and started the third quarter after starting power forward Markieff Morris remained in the locker room, as reported by Washington Post writer Candace Buckner.  Even when Morris returned, Scott played alongside him and continued to score from the post, midrange and from deep.

Smith also displayed his ability to keep the offense moving and dished out four assists. His activity level on defense allowed him to grab a team-high two steals.

It’s worth noting what Brooks does at the four position from here on out. Scott is making quite the case for an increase in minutes, especially with the team’s struggling frontcourt as of late.