The Dallas Mavericks (23-45) defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-27), 130-120, in their Sunday afternoon meeting. The rematch followed Dallas’ 33-point loss to the same team on Friday night. Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, and PJ Washington led the way for the Mavericks. Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus were the only two Cavaliers who showed up to play. I don’t love to see the Mavericks moving down in Draft Lottery odds, but it was a fun game for Dallas.
Dallas came to play at Cleveland, and the Cavs
did not, spending the entire game trying to dig themselves out of a deficit they never overcame. Games like this make it hard to believe in Cleveland’s postseason chances, as the Cavaliers had the clear talent advantage across their roster.
Here are some noteworthy stats from Sunday’s win.
6: P.J. Washington steals
Washington had an incredible showing and was everywhere on both ends of the floor. Washington finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high six steals. He started at center for Dallas, and Cleveland had no answer for him in the paint. He tallied three makes from behind the arc, which is always nice to see. ‘Headband PJ’ may be a problem for the league.
27: Cooper Flagg points
Cooper Flagg followed Friday night’s 25-point performance with another physically imposing outing. He finished with 27 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists. He got into the paint with ease, and Sunday’s game was another great example of how dominant he is when he can get to the basket. He is a special player, and it has been awesome to watch how he dominates matchups against some of the league’s best defenders.
15: Dallas 3-pointers
Dallas shot 15-of-30 from three-point range against the Cavaliers, a completely out-of-character statistic for this team that led to an unlikely win. After Dallas shot 27% from three on Friday, Cleveland was uninterested in guarding the Mavericks at all in the rematch. The Mavs had their way from 3-point range, with Washington and Ryan Nembhard leading Dallas with three each. This is certainly not a trend Dallas will maintain to close the season, but it was one of the leading reasons for Sunday’s win.
The Mavericks are back in action on Monday night in New Orleans, where they will take on the Pelicans at 7 p.m. CT.
