Cleveland Cavaliers (41-26) beat Dallas Mavericks (22-45) 138-105 on the road on Friday, March 13. The final margin was 33 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Cavaliers had the better start, winning the first 38-21 to lead by 17 after one. The teams matched each other with 29 points apiece in the second quarter; the Cavaliers still led by 17 at halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 41-33 to create some separation, taking a 25-point lead into the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 30-22; the Cavaliers finished the job for a 138-105 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Cavaliers got more from their shots, finishing at 71.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 48.9% for the Mavericks. The Cavaliers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 13.8% of possessions compared with 16.6% for the Mavericks. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Mavericks did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 23 against 8.8. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 135.1 points per 100 possessions to 102.8 for the Mavericks.
Who stood out
Evan Mobley was the game's biggest individual force for CLE: 29 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast on 12-15 shooting. His Game Score of 23.4 led everyone. His team was +12 with him on the floor.
Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 25 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast on 8-16 shooting, good for a 18.7 Game Score.
Dwight Powell (11 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Cavaliers about a 72% chance.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 2-0.
The Cavaliers are now 41-26, and the Mavericks are 22-45. The Cavaliers last five before this game: W-W-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.