Cavaliers Rest Core Players, Defeat Wizards

Rookie Tyrese Proctor shines with double-double in Cleveland's win.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 3:02am

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A fragmented, geometric painting in the style of Pablo Picasso, depicting a basketball game with sharp, overlapping planes of the Cavaliers' wine and gold colors and the Wizards' red, white and blue palette, capturing the energy and movement of the sport.The Cavaliers' young talent shines through in a cubist-inspired illustration of their victory over the Wizards.Cleveland Today

The Cleveland Cavaliers, already locked into the playoffs, rested their top players but still managed to defeat the Washington Wizards 130-117 on Sunday. Rookie Tyrese Proctor led the way with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, while Nae'Qwan Tomlin scored a career-high 26 points for the Cavaliers.

Why it matters

The Cavaliers' ability to win without their star players demonstrates the team's depth and development of young talent, which could pay dividends in the postseason. Meanwhile, the Wizards' loss keeps them on the outside of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.

The details

With the playoffs already secured, the Cavaliers opted to rest their core players, including All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. This opened the door for younger players like Proctor and Tomlin to step up and lead the team to victory. Proctor, a rookie, stuffed the stat sheet with an impressive double-double, while Tomlin had the best game of his young NBA career.

  • The game was played on Sunday, April 13, 2026.

The players

Tyrese Proctor

A rookie forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers who had a standout performance with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

Nae'Qwan Tomlin

A player for the Cleveland Cavaliers who scored a career-high 26 points in the win over the Wizards.

Donovan Mitchell

An All-Star player for the Cleveland Cavaliers who was rested for this game.

Darius Garland

An All-Star player for the Cleveland Cavaliers who was also rested for this game.

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What they’re saying

“Our young guys really stepped up today and showed what they can do. I'm proud of the effort from the entire team, even with our stars sitting out.”

— J.B. Bickerstaff, Head Coach, Cleveland Cavaliers

The takeaway

The Cavaliers' depth and development of young talent was on full display, as they were able to defeat a conference rival even while resting their top players. This bodes well for Cleveland's playoff aspirations and suggests they have a bright future with their emerging young core.