The Dallas Mavericks (7-6) fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers (7-7), 127-117 in a Saturday night matchup on the road. The matchup followed Dallas’ 133-94 beatdown loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. The Mavericks needed a bounce-back performance after Thursday night’s blunder, and failed to take advantage of a second-string Cavaliers team.
Max Christie, Sergio de Larrea, Dereck Lively, and Tarik Biberovic were out for the Mavericks. Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell, James Harden,
Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, Jarret Allen, and Sam Merrill. The Cavaliers sat all their top players after being unable to leave Miami until 9 a.m. due to a nationwide FAA grounding, following their 133-121 loss to the Heat. The nationwide grounding led to a call from Mitchell to cancel the game.
Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 34 points, six rebounds, and five assists, with 28 of those points coming in the second half. Tyrese Proctor contributed 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, his first career triple-double, for the shorthanded Cavaliers.
The Mavericks struggled to defend the three early on, allowing Cleveland to make six threes in the first quarter, taking 58% of their shots from behind the arc. The Cavaliers, though shorthanded, had a hot hand early, allowing them to compete with the Mavericks in the first period. Caleb Martin was a bright spot for the Mavericks in this period, contributing nine first-quarter points as he continues to string together solid contributions in Dallas. Though the Mavericks couldn’t stop Meleek Thomas’s three-point shot early in the game, they walked into the second period at a 33-33 stalemate.
The Mavericks struggled offensively in the second period, letting their offensive mishaps affect how they defended the Cavaliers on the other end. The Cavaliers’ early hot hand from behind the arc faded away in the second quarter, but they were able to go inside, as the Mavericks continued to struggle to defend them. The Mavericks needed more from Cooper Flagg in this quarter, who went 1-of-6 from the field as the Cavaliers’ lead grew behind their 28-9 run in the quarter. Dallas walked into the intermission after giving up 38 points in the period, down 71-53, with a desperate need to punch back in the second half.
Dallas entered the second half uninspired to turn around its double-digit deficit, letting the lead swell to over twenty points. Dallas attempted to make a run midway through the third period, cutting the lead to 14, but continued to be unable to defend Cleveland to close the lead in any meaningful way. After a string of defensive stops, the Mavericks closed the gap with the Cavaliers, cutting the lead to 10. Irving provided a necessary 20 points in the third quarter when the Mavericks couldn’t find a bucket. Even then, the Mavericks entered the fourth quarter with a 14-point deficit to dig themselves out of. The Mavericks’ struggles seeped into the fourth quarter, despite everything Irving tried to do for Dallas. The Mavericks were unable to string together enough stops to fight back, falling 127-117.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday night’s loss.
Offensive woes on the road
The Mavericks’ offensive struggles continued on the road, shooting 39-of-94 from the field in the loss to Cleveland. Dallas needed someone to step up alongside Irving, but failed to take advantage of a less-talented group. This team needs more from guys like PJ Washington and Naji Marshall, who both shot poorly from the field in the loss to the Cavaliers. Off-nights from Flagg mean that someone else needs to answer the call, and the Mavericks failed to find someone to do so against Cleveland.
Cooper Flagg’s struggles
Cooper Flagg struggled in Saturday night’s matchup with the Cavaliers, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-19 from the field. He was unable to find his shot tonight, and it felt like he was trying to force himself out of his slump by trying to draw whistles that he didn’t get. He shot 0-of-6 from behind the arc tonight, though the Mavericks shot poorly from three as a whole. The Mavericks need more from Flagg, especially when facing a team missing its best players, because Irving can’t be left to do it on his own. Flagg’s youth showed tonight, and the Mavericks will need him to return to his All-Star-caliber self.
Kyrie Irving’s third quarter
Kyrie Irving’s 20-point third quarter gave the Mavericks a glimmer of temporary hope, with the Mavericks closing the Cavaliers’ lead to 10. He was able to find his shot in this quarter, giving the Mavericks the push they needed to try to close the gap on the Cavaliers. Irving finished with 34 points, with the Mavericks needing every last one. Irving has played like an All-Star since returning from his ACL tear, and tonight was another impressive showing, coming when Dallas needed it the most. The Mavericks were unable to find anyone to step up to the plate alongside Irving and play with some shame against the Cleveland B-team.
Up next
The Mavericks are back in action Sunday, as they travel to Boston to face the Celtics at the TD Garden. Catch the tail end of the Mavericks back-to-back at 5 p.m. CT on KFAA-TV and MavsTV.
