Even without star guard Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, or Evan Mobley, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to find ways to secure wins. In Wednesday’s NBA action, they overcame a 20-point deficit in the first half to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 113-110.
Caris LeVert played a pivotal role, scoring 29 points, including a crucial go-ahead 3-pointer in the final quarter. The Mavericks experienced a scoring drought in the fourth quarter, allowing the Cavaliers to turn a nine-point deficit into a six-point lead.
Jarrett Allen was a standout performer with 24 points and 23 rebounds, just shy of his career-high, while Isaac Okoro contributed 22 points. This victory marks Cleveland’s third win in four games without Mitchell, who is out with an illness.
Cleveland has gone 5-1 record since a three-game losing streak despite being without Garland and Mobley for an extended period. Allen emphasized the team’s resilience and determination to stay competitive until healthy.
“It’s a big lift for us,” Allen said. “As long as we can hold down the fort until we get healthy again, that’s what we’re looking forward to. You can’t just discount this team. We’re going to step to every single matchup and give it our all.”
For Dallas, Luka Doncic continued his scoring run with 39 points, his 14th game with at least 30 points in 15 appearances. The Mavericks, missing Kyrie Irving due to injury, struggled in the final quarter, particularly after Doncic returned to the court following an extended break.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers, Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks Updates
LeVert’s fourth-quarter performance was significant, especially after missing the previous game with a knee injury. Dallas’ Seth Curry also scored a season-high 19 points, but both he and Doncic were less effective in the final quarter.
The Mavericks had a chance to tie the game in the last seconds, but a blocked shot by Max Strus on Curry’s 3-pointer sealed the win for Cleveland. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd acknowledged the need for improvement in late-game situations.
“We got some good looks,” Kidd said. “We just didn’t make them. Luka had looks. Curry had looks. Everybody had looks. They just didn’t go down for us.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers, Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks Updates
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised Allen’s relentless effort on both ends of the court. Josh Green returned for Dallas after a 12-game absence, contributing two points and five assists.
“He’s relentless. It was impressive,” Bickerstaff said. “It was a refusal to let us lose in so many different ways. We asked him to do so many things out there defensively. And then offensively we put the ball in his hands and let him make the right basketball play.”
Looking forward, the Cavaliers host the Milwaukee Bucks, while the Mavericks face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves, both games scheduled for Thursday.
