Mavericks bounce back with 130-120 victory over Cavaliers after being routed Friday night
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cooper Flagg scored 27 points, Naji Marshall added 25 and the Dallas Mavericks bounced back from a 33-point loss to Cleveland two days ago to defeat the Cavaliers 130-120 on Sunday afternoon.
The Mavericks, who were routed 138-105 on Friday night, pulled away in the second half to snap a seven-game losing streak against the Cavaliers.
P.J. Washington had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas, which won for just the second time in 11 games.
It was the 12th time this season Flagg has scored at least 27 points. The top overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft was 10 of 17 from the field and also had 10 assists and six rebounds in 33 minutes.
Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell had 26 points and Max Strus scored 24 points in his season debut. The seventh-year forward missed the first 67 games because of a broken left foot.
Strus suffered a Jones fracture — a break of the bone that connects the little toe to the base of the foot — during offseason training and underwent surgery on Aug. 26.
The Cavaliers committed 16 turnovers, which resulted in 25 Mavericks’ points.
There were 11 lead changes and seven ties in the first half before Dallas emerged with a 60-59 advantage at halftime.
The Mavericks scored the first seven points of the third quarter and extended their lead to 78-67 on a 3-pointer by Ryan Nembhard with 7:20 remaining.
The Cavaliers got within seven before the Mavericks countered with a 10-2 run late in the quarter.
Dallas’ John Poulakidas had 10 points in his second NBA game. Poulakidas, a rookie from Yale who signed a two-way contract on March 1, had eight points and two rebounds in the third quarter.
The Mavericks led by 21 in the fourth quarter before the Cavaliers made a late run.
Up next
Mavericks: At New Orleans on Monday.
Cavaliers: At Milwaukee on Tuesday.
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