DALLAS, TX -- In their fourth game out of six days, the Cavaliers traveled to Dallas to take on the Mavericks. The Cavaliers were without Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr, and the Mavericks were without their star rookie Luka Doncic. Doncic's replacement, Dorian Finney-Smith, had the hot hand for the Mavericks throughout the first half, as he helped Dallas get off to a big lead. During the second quarter, the Cavaliers were looking at a 21 point deficit, as Larry Drew called a timeout to stop the bleeding. The Cavs came out of the timeout red-hot, as they closed the first half with an 18-6 run.
The Cavaliers continued to show fight in the second half, as they answered every Mavericks run with a run of their own, but Dallas was able to edge them out, defeating the Cavaliers 121-116. Tim Hardaway Jr led all Mavericks in scoring, putting up 22 points on an efficient 8-18 shooting. Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 points, putting him just 4 points shy of passing Wilt Chamberlain for 6th on the all-time scoring list.
Collin Sexton continues to improve each game, as he was feeling himself tonight. The Cavaliers' rookie put up a game-high 28-points on 10-17 shooting, also adding 4 assists. Kevin Love looked both healthy and comfortable on the court today, as he recorded a double-double, scoring 22 points and pulling in 12 rebounds. Jordan Clarkson scored 17 of the 28 bench points for the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers will look to bounce back with a win as they will take on the Detroit Pistons in a home matchup. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM ET at Quicken Loans Arena.