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CLEVELAND — The Dallas Mavericks won the second half by eight points Saturday night and still lost 127-117 to a Cleveland Cavaliers team that sat Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, James Harden, and Jarrett Allen on the second night of a back-to-back. The second quarter went to Cleveland 38-20.
Kyrie Irving scored 34 points, 28 of them after halftime. Cooper Flagg scored 18 on 6-of-19 shooting. Tyrese Proctor had a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, and six Cavaliers scored at least 13 points.
Dallas Mavericks Cannot Afford Another Slow First Half
Daniel Gafford’s putback dunk gave Dallas a 44-43 lead with 6:25 left in the second quarter. Cleveland outscored the Mavericks 28-9 the rest of the half and led 71-53 at the break.
Synergy Sports data shows how little Dallas got from its half-court offense in that quarter. The Mavericks scored on 9 of 26 half-court possessions in the period. Against man-to-man defense they scored on 5 of 17, and against the zone Cleveland used on 9 second-quarter trips they scored on 4. Dallas went 0-of-6 from three in the quarter and committed 5 of its 8 turnovers.
The Mavericks did not commit a turnover after halftime. They outscored Cleveland 64-56 over the final 24 minutes and got no closer than nine.
Mavericks coach Dusty May gave a one-sentence answer on whether Dallas brought the right urgency into the first half, two nights after a 133-94 loss at Minnesota.
“We definitely didn’t play with the right level of urgency,” May said.
Caleb Martin scored 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the first half. He said Dallas’ defensive tone at the opening tip let Cleveland’s offense dictate the rest of the game.
“Like we just didn’t have any,” Martin said. “Honestly, we just came out flat, and I think all the way down the line, including myself, we came out flat. It impacted the game from the jump and set the tone defensively and kind of let the offense kind of dictate what we were doing for the rest of the game, and yeah, we just didn’t come out and give our best version of that.”
Irving said the problem is not new. Over Dallas’ last few games, he said, the Mavericks have not come close to matching the physicality of their opponents.
“So we just don’t have time to feel our way through the game and not do the little things that we speak on in preparation, or when we’re in preparation, or in just practice, and just need better carryover,” Irving said. “So he’s absolutely right, and that’s holding us accountable to the highest level when we got to respond.”
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Guards Beat Dallas One On One
Cleveland scored 23 points on 19 isolation possessions, according to Synergy. Thirteen of those came against a single defender, and the Cavaliers scored 19 points on them. Nine of Cleveland’s isolations came in the fourth quarter. Dallas ran six isolations and scored 3 points.
The Cavaliers did similar damage when Dallas committed a second defender to the pick-and-roll ball handler. Cleveland scored 24 points on 17 of those possessions. Dallas scored 12 on 13.
Proctor, Meleek Thomas, Jaylon Tyson, and Craig Porter Jr. combined for 71 points, 28 rebounds, and 22 assists. Cleveland shot 53.3% from the field and outscored Dallas 54-42 in the paint. Mario Hezonja added a season-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting.
May named one-on-one defense as Dallas’ biggest issue.
“Our inability to guard one on one was the biggest issue, and then they were able to get behind our defense, our switches,” May said. “I thought their passing, but their isolation offense was, and shot making was the difference.”
Cleveland’s guards also grabbed rebounds over bigger players, May said, and he credited their speed, size, and shooting.
“I mean, those guys are really, really good one-on-one players,” May explained. “I thought their guards did a nice job on the glass as well when they were undersized, and it seemed like Hezonja made several back-breaking shots. We’d make a run, and he would make a big play, and credit to him. I mean, he’s been obviously a big pickup for them.”
Proctor had 11 rebounds and Porter had 9, including 4 on the offensive glass. Cleveland finished with 54 rebounds to Dallas’ 39.
Dallas Shot 7-Of-28 From Three Outside Of Kyrie Irving
Irving went 7-of-16 from three. The rest of the Mavericks went 7-of-28. Flagg was 0-of-6, Walter Clayton Jr. was 0-of-4, and Naji Marshall was 0-of-3.
Cleveland made the harder shots. On guarded catch-and-shoot jumpers, the Cavaliers scored 18 points on 17 attempts, according to Synergy. Dallas scored 15 on 21. The Mavericks were better on open catch-and-shoot looks, scoring 18 points on 13 to Cleveland’s 9 on 12.
Spot-up possessions followed the same pattern. Cleveland scored 35 points on 26 of them, and Dallas scored 31 on 29.
Martin said missed shots are part of a game of runs, and that defense is the part Dallas controls.
“It’s natural. I mean, obviously, we’re a lot of players are part of their toughest critic, and obviously, it’s easy to get down on yourself, but I mean, that’s part of the game,” Martin explained. “We’re not gonna make every shot, and at the end of the day, if you’re playing hard, good things happen. It doesn’t really matter if, the shots will eventually fall.”
“Just like you can start the game really hot and go cold. It could be the reverse for a team who’s not making shots early,” Martin continued. “Like the game, the game is, it’s a game of runs, and I think that we all know that. We just have to continue to believe that, and stay the course. And that’s why we gotta hang our hat on the defensive end, because that’s the one thing you control in the game.”
Cooper Flagg Needs Easier Looks
Flagg played 38 minutes, went 6-of-8 at the free-throw line, and did not commit a turnover. He was 4-of-13 from the field through three quarters. Five days earlier, he scored a season-high 43 points against Indiana.
Dallas ran 30 possessions through the pick-and-roll ball handler and scored 27 points, according to Synergy. In transition, the Mavericks scored 27 points on 23 possessions.
Irving said Dallas has to stop asking Flagg to start every action himself.
“But most importantly, he’s not alone out there, and we got to do a better job, including myself, get him going, and not so much of a putting the responsibility on him to initiate every single action,” Irving said. “He does a great job of doing it, but now we just got to get him some easy ones to get him going. And he’s going to do a great job over his next few games, so I’m not worried. But every sophomore in the league goes through it at some point in the season.”
Irving had 6 points on 1-of-7 shooting at halftime. He scored 20 in the third quarter and 8 in the fourth.
Dallas is 7-6 after two straight losses. The Mavericks play the Boston Celtics on Sunday at TD Garden, the second night of a back-to-back, with tip-off at 5 p.m. CT.
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