In what should have been a mismatch, the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a 100-99 win vs a Dallas Maverick team that was without star Luka Doncic. They also were without key players Spencer Dinwiddie and Dwight Powell as well.
The Cavs seemed to struggle on offense throughout the game. They were often playing without pace and allowing the Mavs to play free flowingly, developing a rhythm on offense. Kemba Walker, who started in place of Doncic, looked like his former All-Star self. He continuously penetrated the Cavs defense in the first half. Walker finished the contest with 32 pt 7 and 5 rbs. Most of his pts came in the 1st half which allowed his teammates to get open looks and 1 on 1 shots in the 2nd half.
Poor Shooting
The Cavs struggled from the 3pt line as well, as their top shooters, Darius Garland, 1 for 6 17%, and Donovan Mitchell, 1 for 9 11%, were abysmal. The team combined overall to shoot 19% from the 3pt line and 59% from the free throw line. The Cavs however, were able to pull this game out by holding the Mavs to 40% shooting from the field and dominating the paint points by a margin of 58 to 34.
The Cavs will host the Utah Jazz on Monday, as Donovan Mitchell plays his first game against his old team. The matchup will be a return as well for former Cavs Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and 1st rd pick Ochai Agbaji, who suited up for the Cavs in the summer league. Clarkson was a key member of the Cavs 2018 finals team.
