National Basketball Association
Dallas 111, Cleveland 98
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, February 2, 2019
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials: #76 Natalie Sago, #58 Josh Tiven, #45 Brian Forte
Attendance: 19432

Rookie Luka Doncic scored 35 points, including 18 in the first quarter, to lead the short-handed Dallas Mavericks to a 111-98 road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

The leading candidate for Rookie of the Year displayed Stephen Curry-like range as well as plenty of moves in and around the basket. The 19-year-old grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out six assists.

Dallas dressed only 11 players after acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks in a seven-player trade on Thursday. Porzingis, who is recovering from tearing an ACL almost a year ago, will not play this season.

The other players who came over from New York in the deal, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee, are expected to be available when the Mavericks return home Wednesday to play the Charlotte Hornets.

After giving up 40 first-quarter points, the Cavs' defense held the Mavs to just 18 second-quarter points. A 12-0 run put Cleveland up 51-46.

However, Doncic scored 10 in the second period, including an uncontested layup down the lane at the end of the half, giving the Mavs a 58-55 lead at intermission.

The Cavs, who have battled injuries all year and still don't have Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson in uniform, welcomed David Nwaba back after he missed 18 games with a sprained ankle. Nwaba scored 12 points off the bench in just 15 minutes.

However, as soon as Nwaba saw action for the first time since Dec. 23, the Cavs lost Cedi Osman to a right ankle injury late in the second quarter. Osman, who averaged 24.3 points in his previous four games, scored 10 points and had three assists in just 14 minutes.

Trailing 86-80 entering the fourth quarter, Cleveland let a golden opportunity to win a season-high third straight game slip away. Both teams went scoreless for the first three minutes until Jalen Brunson knocked down a 27-foot 3-pointer and completed a four-point play to give the Mavs a 10-point lead.

Harrison Barnes, who had scored only four points in the first three quarters, scored 13 fourth-quarter points to dash any hopes of a Cleveland comeback.

Jordan Clarkson led the Cavaliers with 19 points off the bench.

Dallas outscored Cleveland 48-12 from 3-point range. The Cavs made just 4 of 23 attempts while the Mavs were 16 of 39.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Dallas   Cleveland
Luka Doncic 35 Scoring Jordan Clarkson 19
Luka Doncic 6 Assists Alec Burks 5
Luka Doncic 11 Rebounds Larry Nance Jr. 12
Luka Doncic 5 Free Throws Made Alec Burks 4
Luka Doncic 1 Steals Larry Nance Jr. 2
Maxi Kleber 2 Blocks Jordan Clarkson 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Dallas 111 47.6 16-39 15-19 20 50 4 2 13
Cleveland 98 40.0 4-23 26-33 20 44 2 7 6
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Boston. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .182 after a win and .214 after a loss.
  • Dallas will play their next game at home against Charlotte. The Mavericks have a W/L % of .478 after a win and .448 after a loss.