Mavs Stay Unbeaten on the Road With 131-111 Win Over Cleveland
Coming off of a tough overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks hit the road for a quick one-game trip to Cleveland, looking to get back on track. After a hard-fought first half, the Mavs did exactly that, winning 131-111, and moving to 3-0 on the road for the first time since the 2010-2011 season in the process.
Once again, Luka Doncic was the star of the show for the Mavericks, notching his second-consecutive triple-double by scoring 29 points, handing out 15 assists, and grabbing 14 rebounds in 34 minutes. Doncic also hit 9-17 shots from the field, including 5-10 from beyond the arc, and 6-6 from the free-throw line.
Doncic's MVP-level performance was supplemented by yet another example of the team's tremendous depth, as the Mavs finished with eight players in double figures, including an 18-point, nine-rebound, six-block outing from Kristaps Porzingis.
Seth Curry and Jalen Brunson, who both drew starts on Sunday, contributed 13 and 14 points, respectively. Dwight Powell also added nine points in 27 minutes.
Off of the bench, Boban Marjanovic and Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way, scoring 12 points apiece, while Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 10 points, and Delon Wright did all of the little things, scoring eight points, to go along with six assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
It was arguably the most complete win of the season for the Mavs, who hit 53-percent from the field as a team, including 48.8-percent from three while holding the Cavs to just 40.7-percent shooting on the other end. Dallas also completely out-did Cleveland in the paint, winning the rebounding battle 51-41 and outscoring them in the paint 52-28.
With their undefeated road record intact, the Mavericks will return home to the American Airlines Center for a two-game homestand, beginning with a tilt against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
Following that, Kristaps Porzingis will get his first crack at his former team, the New York Knicks, in what will be the first of two matchups between the two teams on Friday night.