Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Feb 22, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard George Hill (3) drives against Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. USA TODAY Sports / David Richard

Bradley Beal had 18 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17 as the Washington Wizards (34-24) ended the Cleveland Cavaliers' (34-26) four-game winning streak at the Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday (Friday AEDT). It was the teams' first game back since the NBA All-Star break.

The Wizards, without John Wall, have now won eight of the last 10 games dating back to their 129-104 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 27. Since then, Beal & Co. have registered impressive wins against Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers.

In Wall's absence, Czech journeyman Tomas Satoransky has stepped up to the challenge as the team's primary ball-handler, averaging over eight assists over the last three games. On Thursday, Satoransky had another solid outing, finishing with 17 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. The tall point guard is shooting over 60 percent from the three-point line in the month of February.

After a highly competitive first half, the Wizards nearly blew a late 11-point lead when LeBron James scored 14 consecutive points to pull Cleveland within 106-103. After that, Beal made a clutch layup to seal the victory for the Wizards.

Bradley Beal makes clutch shot for Wizards

Beal was proud of his team's ability to rise to the challenge in Wall's absence. "It was a great team effort. We know the games before the break and the game after the break are always the toughest ones to get, especially when you're playing a team like this. It was definitely a challenge for us. The rest of the year is going to be a challenge for us, but we did a great job starting out," said Beal, who added 9 assists and 2 blocks to go with his 18 points, via ESPN.

In the closing moments, James missed an intention free throw and committed a lane violation while trying to grab a rebound. The four-time MVP was not disappointed with the loss as the Cavs continue to integrate new acquisitions Jordan Clarkson, George Hill, Rodney Hood and Larry Nance Jr.

"I think we played well tonight, even though we lost. I hate losing, obviously, but I think the way we played, the way we shared the ball. Defensively, we were flying around as well and those guys, they just played better than us tonight. I like the start, I like the direction we're headed."

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will now travel to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday before beginning a five-game homestead starting with a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. They won't go back on the road until March 7 when they face the Denver Nuggets.