NBA

• LeBron scores 32, gives Cavs 1-0 series lead

  
  

  Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - LeBron James scored 32 points, including two straight key buckets down the stretch, and the Cleveland Cavaliers used a fourth-quarter surge to take Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Washington Wizards, 93-86, at Quicken Loans Arena.

  James also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists, while Zydrunas Ilgauskas went for 22 points and 11 boards for the Cavs, who outscored the Wizards 28-17 in the final stanza and closed the game on an 11-2 run.

  Cleveland has eliminated Washington from the playoffs each of the previous two seasons, including a first-round sweep a year ago over an undermanned Wizards team, which was without injured stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler. Arenas fanned the flames of this budding rivalry by doing his share of talking prior to Saturday's opener, and the Wizards made it clear their plan was to play the Cavs - and James in particular - physical this time around.

  As a result, Cleveland attempted 37 free throws to Washington's 17 Saturday, hitting 28 for a clip of better than 75 percent. Antawn Jamison paced the Wizards with 23 points and a game-high 19 rebounds, while Arenas scored 24 off the bench, but in addition to the foul-shooting disparity, Washington shot just 6-of-24 from three-point range and committed 13 turnovers.

  04/19 15:40:19 ET