AJ Dybantsa Scores 19 Points in NBA Debut During Wizards Loss to Cavaliers

Top overall pick AJ Dybantsa led Washington with 19 points in a 121-111 loss to Cleveland following a four-game absence due to a sprained ankle.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Washington Wizards 121-111 on Wednesday, despite a 19-point performance from No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa in his NBA debut. Dybantsa, who missed the first four games of the season with a sprained ankle, started at shooting guard and played 26 minutes. He recorded nine points in the opening quarter and finished with the highest scoring total for a Wizards player in a career debut since Tom Gugliotta's 20 points in 1992, according to ESPN Research.

Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers with 24 points, including a career-high five 3-pointers and 10 points in the final period. Peyton Watson, an offseason acquisition from Denver, contributed 22 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes, while Donovan Mitchell added 19 points. Cleveland secured its third consecutive victory by executing a nine-point run after trailing 105-104 late in the game, marking their 17th straight win over Washington.

Washington held a 76-63 lead early in the third quarter following an alley-oop from Dybantsa off a Kyshawn George pass. George finished the night with 11 assists. Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr each scored 18 points for the Wizards, and Bilal Coulibaly added 17 points after making his first eight field goal attempts. Cleveland reclaimed the lead for the first time since the first quarter on a Mobley layup with 11:19 remaining in the game.