CLEVELAND — John Wall scored 37 points, Bradley Beal added 27 and the Washington Wizards began a challenging road trip by beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-115 on Saturday night.

Wall scored 18 in the first quarter, when the Wizards shot 82 percent, and Washington held on down the stretch to avenge an overtime loss to the NBA champions last month.

James, who briefly wore goggles to protect an eye injury sustained Friday night, scored 24 points and added 11 rebounds and eight assists. Kyrie Irving had 23 points and Kevin Love 17 for Cleveland, which was playing at home for the only time in a seven-game stretch.

Washington’s victory cut Cleveland’s lead in the Eastern Conference to a half-game over Boston.

But even more important, the Wizards showed they could put a complete game together against the Cavs – a possible playoff opponent.

CLIPPERS 108, JAZZ 95: Reserve Jamal Crawford scored 28 points and Los Angeles won at home to clinch a playoff berth for the sixth straight year.

The Clippers trail the Jazz by a half-game in their race for the No. 4 playoff seed in the West.

Blake Griffin added 15 points and DeAndre Jordan had 15 rebounds for the Clippers.

Rudy Gobert had 26 points and 14 rebounds for Utah, and reserve Joe Johnson added 17 points.

NOTES

KNICKS: Joakim Noah was suspended 20 games without pay for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.

He tested positive for a substance found in some over-the-counter supplements, the league said.

Noah has not played since Feb. 4 and likely was to miss the Knicks’ final 10 games this season because of a left knee injury. The NBA said Noah’s suspension will begin with the first regular-season or playoff game for which he is “eligible and physically able to play.”