Dallas Mavericks (23-45) beat Cleveland Cavaliers (41-27) 130-120 on the road on Sunday, March 15 in a shootout, with the two teams combining for 250 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Mavericks had the better start, winning the first 35-31 to lead by 4 after one. The Cavaliers cut into the deficit with a 28-25 second quarter, though the Mavericks still led by 1 at halftime.
The Mavericks won the third 40-27 to create some separation, taking a 14-point lead into the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 34-30; the Mavericks held on for a 130-120 regulation win.
What decided it
The Mavericks made 26.4 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 15.9 for the Cavaliers. The Mavericks took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.8% of possessions compared with 15.5% for the Cavaliers. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Mavericks produced 126.8 points per 100 possessions to 117 for the Cavaliers.
Who made the difference
Naji Marshall was the game's biggest individual force for DAL: 25 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast on 8-12 shooting. His Game Score of 24.6 led everyone. His team was +10 with him on the floor.
Max Strus led the Cavaliers with 24 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast on 7-9 shooting, good for a 21.8 Game Score.
Evan Mobley (18 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast), Donovan Mitchell (26 pts, 1 reb, 11 ast), and Cooper Flagg (27 pts, 6 reb, 10 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
By our Win Meter this was an upset: The Mavericks entered with about a 10% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 3-0.
The Mavericks are now 23-45, and the Cavaliers are 41-27. The Mavericks last five before this game: L-L-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.