Mavericks Suffer Second Straight Loss, This Time At Undermanned Cavaliers

Cavaliers starters combined for 97 points as Cleveland outscored, out-physicaled, and outlasted the Dallas Mavs 127-117 on Saturday.

Cleveland was led by Tyrese Proctor's 24-point triple-double and Thomas Bryant's 19-point double-double, while Dallas got 52 combined from Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving.

It seemed like everything was going in Dallas' way heading into the road matchup. The Cavaliers were coming off the first night of a back-to-back and only had eight players available, with their entire starting lineup listed as out.

However, nobody told the Cavs they were "undermanned.''

The start of the first quarter saw a pair of runs. Cleveland built a quick 13-7 lead on three triples; meanwhile, Dallas kept its philosophy of working inside-out by making its first three shots within the arc.

An 8-0 run for Dallas around the seven-minute mark tied the game, and from there it was level throughout the rest of the quarter, leaving the score tied at 33 by the end.

Dallas was able to slow Cleveland down, forcing six turnovers; however, the Cavaliers still managed to score 33 points, with rookie Meleek Thomas scoring nine. On the other side, Dallas knocked down five triples and did a great job getting to the free-throw line, finishing 8-for-9 in the quarter.

In the second quarter, Cleveland made an emphasis to get down hill and to the rim. The Cavs had 16 points in the paint by the three-minute mark, which led to a 14-4 run to build a nine-point lead. The run was extended to 28-9 over the last six minutes of the half, including a last-second 30-footer by Tyrese Proctor, resulting in a 71-53 score going into halftime.

The late second-quarter collapse that plagued Dallas against Minnesota last Thursday returned, and Dallas had no answer for the speed and aggressiveness of Cleveland. 

The Mavericks finished the quarter with 20 points on 8-for-21 shooting from the field, including 0-for-6 from three. They turned the ball over five times and only managed seven points in the final five minutes. 

Caleb Martin led all Mavericks in scoring with 11. Cooper Flagg finished the first half with eight points on 3-for-11 from the field, to go with four rebounds and three assists; meanwhile, four Cavaliers finished the half scoring at least 13 points, with Jaylon Tyson leading all scorers with 15 on 4-for-6 shooting.

Cleveland wasted no time coming out of halftime, starting 4-for-7 to open a 21-point lead in the first three minutes of the third. 

With Cooper Flagg continuing to look passive, it was Kyrie Irving trying to will the Mavericks back in. Irving had five in a short 7-0 spurt, cutting the lead to 14, which prompted a Cavalier timeout. 

Irving continued to assert himself offensively, scoring 19 points in the quarter on 7-for-12 shooting. His hot shooting, along with Dallas forcing eight Cavalier turnovers, brought the Mavericks to within 15 by the end of the third.

Dallas (7-6) did a decent job of weathering another quick start by Cleveland (no 7-7), which won the first four minutes, 10-7. Past the initial storm, Cleveland was only shooting 3-for-8 after five minutes, with Dallas forcing them into more one-on-one action and playing deeper into the shot clock.

In the final three minutes, Dallas brought it to within 10; unfortunately, there wasn't enough time on the clock as Norchad Omier slammed the door shut for Cleveland with a dunk to give him 13 points.

Dallas will hop back on the plane and fly up to Boston to play the top team in the East, the Celtics, on the second night of a back-to-back on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 5:00 p.m. CT.