138-105 Victory Against Mavericks

Outstanding rookie Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting, with Dwight Powell doubling-up with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 21 minutes of work off the bench. 

James Harden chipped in with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-7 from long-range, adding seven rebounds, seven assists and steal. 

The red-hot Keon Ellis got his first start as a Cavalier and continued to deliver on both ends – netting 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, adding three boards, a steal and a pair of blocked shots. Over his last three outings, the 4^th-year man from ‘Bama is shooting 12-for-20 from three-point range. 

Thomas Bryant has been on a nice little run of his own, leading all Cavs reserves with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, grabbing four boards to go with two steals and a pair of blocks. Overall, every Cavalier who dressed got the in the scoring column in Friday night’s lopsided victory. 

As a team, the Cavaliers shot a season-best 62 percent from the floor – drilling 18 three-pointers, amassing 72 points in the paint and handing out 32 assists. 

*** Friday night’s matchup was a snapshot of two teams going in different directions: One squad barreling towards the postseason, the other barreling their way back to the Lottery. 

Evan Mobley set the tone straight from the opening tip, scoring 16 of his 29 points in the first quarter – putting Cleveland up big early and never looking back the rest of the way, coasting to the 138-105 drubbing of the Mavericks in Dallas. 

The Mavs led by four points four minutes into the contest, but that was as good as it would get for Jason Kidd’s struggling squad, which fell for the 19^th time in their last 22 games. For Cleveland, which led by 17 points after one quarter and by double-digits essentially the rest of the way, it was a much-needed get-well game after dropping a tough decision two nights earlier in Orlando. 

Coming off his 20^th double-double of the season in that matchup with the Magic, Mobley came out ready to rumble on Friday night – matching his season-high despite logging just over seven minutes of work after intermission. Overall, the soft-spoken seven-footer went 12-of-15 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from deep, adding seven rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal.

“I like how we came out really aggressively from the start, and defensively we did a pretty good job,” said Mobley. “Some lapses here and there, but I like how we kept on foot on the gas for most of the game. That made it an easy win for us tonight.” 

Donovan Mitchell followed up with 24 points on an efficient 11-of-16 shooting, leading Cleveland with eight assists to go with two boards and a pair of steals. Friday marked the 27^th game this season that Cleveland’s seven-time All-Star finished with at least two picks. 

*** After blasting the Mavs on Friday night, they’ll look to complete the season sweep on Sunday afternoon, welcoming Cooper Flagg and Co. to Rocket Arena before getting right back on the road. On Tuesday night, the Wine and Gold travel to Milwaukee for a St. Patrick’s Day clash with the Bucks before their final clash of the campaign against the Bulls on Thursday night in the Windy City. On Saturday night, Cleveland wraps up the roadie in New Orleans before returning for a three-game homestand, taking on Orlando followed by two straight against the Heat.