Can Luka Doncic’s Mavericks reclaim their 20-point lead over the Cavs?
The Dallas Mavericks will look to rebound from their streak-breaking loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second game of a difficult four-game road trip.
The Dallas Mavericks were a different club when they last met the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 27. Not only was this before Dallas’ trades for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, but star point guard Kyrie Irving did not play in that game either, as the Mavs only scored 41 second-half points on their way to blowing a 20-point lead and losing 113–100.
On Tuesday night, the Mavs will attempt to avenge that loss from earlier in the season as they take on the Cavs in what will be their second game of a tough four-game road trip. Dallas, after winning seven consecutive games, is coming off a 133-111 humbling loss to the Indiana Pacers, so there will be plenty of motivation in this one. Irving’s return to Cleveland, the city he helped bring a championship to alongside LeBron James, will be a big storyline in this one, but also, we should keep an eye on what Luka Doncic is able to accomplish, given that Cleveland has the largest Slovenian population outside of Slovenia. Doncic has missed the last two games the Mavs played in Cleveland, so we
The Cavs have played some stellar basketball since the turn of the calendar year, as they won 17 out of 18 games from Jan. 3 through Feb. 10 while climbing to second-place in the Eastern Conference. However, they’ve had some hiccups since then, going just 2-3 over their last five games with the two wins coming against the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.
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If the Mavericks bring the right intensity and effort after an embarrassing blowout defeat to the Pacers, expect them to bounce back into the win column… and possibly move up a spot or two in the Western Conference, depending on how the rest of tonight’s games play out. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for comprehensive postgame coverage.
