Cavaliers look to continue dominance against Mavericks
The Cleveland Cavaliers have rolled to seven straight wins over the Dallas Mavericks, including a 138-105 triumph Friday, fueled by a season-high tying 29 points from reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley.
Cleveland will try to extend the streak to eight Sunday when it welcomes Dallas for its only regular season visit to Northeast Ohio. The Mavericks haven't beaten the Cavaliers since March 30, 2022.
"I feel like our pick-and-roll has gotten a lot better," said Mobley, who made 12 of 15 shots. "We need to keep making our defense become our offense and keep getting in the paint."
The Cavaliers' last three wins over the Mavericks have been by a combined 88 points, while shooting better than 53% from the field in each victory.
Cleveland's 33-point rout Friday matched its largest of the season and marked the seventh time it has scored at least 138 points.
"We talked about Mobley before the game and said we had to be physical with him," Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. "And we weren't."
Donovan Mitchell had 24 points and eight assists and James Harden had 17 points with seven assists as the Cavaliers made 61.5% of their field goal attempts. They are 24-10 since Dec. 29 and within 1 1/2 games of the third-place New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference.
More important, Cleveland is 10-3 with the newly acquired Harden in the lineup. Kidd called him "one of the best players in the world."
"I think we're playing ahead of schedule with James," Mitchell said.
The Mavericks are in an epic downward spiral, losing nine of their last 10 games and 19 of 22 since Jan. 24. Their season point differential of minus-5.1 is the sixth worst in the league.
NBA Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg had 25 points and five assists for the Mavericks after a slow start against the Cavaliers. Dwight Powell added 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
"It's tough because they knocked down a ton of shots," Flagg said. "Give them credit."
Undrafted point guard Ryan Nembhard had eight points and a game-high nine assists in his first start in more than two months. He has played in eight straight games since his two-way contract was converted to a full-time deal on Feb. 28.
"I love playing with Ryan," Flagg said. "Even at the beginning of the year when he was on a two-way, we played really well together."
Dallas will have its top post player back after Daniel Gafford was given Friday off following his 22-point, 14-rebound performance in a road victory against the Memphis Grizzlies one night earlier. It was the Mavericks' only win since Feb. 25.
Cleveland could get a double dose of good injury news as center Jarrett Allen (right knee tendinitis) is questionable to return from a four-game absence and swingman Max Strus (left foot surgery) may make his season debut.
The Cavaliers have one of the deepest teams in the league since adding Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis from the Sacramento Kings, along with Harden.
"When they get Allen back, I think they're a contender and they can come out of the East," Kidd said. "With Harden playing the way he is, we couldn't keep Mitchell out of the paint. That's a tough matchup."