The Wizards lost 95-90 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, for the third time in as many meetings Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena.

Player of the game:  Wizards PG John Wall had season highs of 27  points, on 7-for-15 shooting, and 13 assists. He also had seven rebounds and went 13-for-14 from the free-throw line.  

The rundown:  The Wizards (20-42) began with an 11-0 run and dominated the first quarter, leading 33-20 behind 10 points and five rebounds from C Emeka Okafor.  The Cavs (22-42) went on a 13-2 run in the second as F Tristan Thompson contributed seven of the points to spot them a 50-49 halftime lead. The Wizards had four turnovers in the third as they fell behind 76-65 entering the fourth. Wall hit a jump shot to trim the deficit to 80-75 with 7:42 left in the game as the Wizards were on a 6-0 run.  But they went cold for the next three minutes to allow Cleveland to push the lead to double-digits again and escape with the victory.

Turning point: The score was tied at 54 in the third quarter, but the Cavs closed with a 22-11 run to create separation. F Alonzo Gee sparked with with two three-pointers.

Ex-Wizards shine: Gee, who played two stints with Washington with the last being 11 games in the 2010-11 season, only shot 5-for-15 but had 17 points. PG Shaun Livingston, who was cut by the Wizards in December,  started in place of Irving. He shot 6-for-9 for 12 points and six assists.

First-timer: C Jason Collins, acquired from the Boston Celtics when the Wizards traded Jordan Crawford last month, made his first appearance. Collins played three minutes, didn't take a shot or grab a rebound. He did tally a block. Collins hadn't played since Feb. 20. 

Who’s next: Wednesday vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7 p.m. ET on CSN. Bucks (32-30) lost at home, 115-108, to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday despite 32 points and nine assists from SG Monta Ellis.