Recap: Mavericks 88 at Cavaliers 91

Earl K. Sneed reports from Cleveland and recaps the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the Cavaliers Saturday night as the defending champs dropped their third straight game.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — During last season’s chase to the championship, the Dallas Mavericks received plenty of backing from the city of Cleveland as it hoped that Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki and his teammates could conquer ex-Cavalier LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Saturday night, the defending champion Mavericks made their first trip to Cleveland since winning the title, looking to get back on track after back-to-back home losses to Oklahoma City and Indiana. And unlike last June, when Cleveland became Dallas’ sister city, the Mavericks would not be celebrated while facing Rookie of the Year favorite Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers.

“Last year was great for us and we know people were pulling for us,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said before the game. “So, that was one of the special things about it.”

The Mavs then turned their attention to getting back in the win column, taking the court without point guard Jason Kidd for a fifth straight game due to a strained right calf. But after winning both games over the Cavaliers last season, the Mavericks (14-11) tasted the bitterness of defeat for a third straight game, falling to a 91-88 loss.

“We’re still missing J-Kidd, our leader, and I think once he gets back that’s gonna sort a lot of things out,” newcomer Delonte West said after the loss, “and we’ll be alright. We’re a veteran team and ain’t nobody hanging their heads. Of course, we lost some games we wanted to win, but it’s the NBA and any game is anybody’s. Once you check ball, it’s anybody’s game.”

With Kidd still sidelined, Carlisle made a switch in his starting lineup, replacing third-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois with the ex-Cavalier, West. But the Mavs would play sluggishly after the opening tipoff, falling behind 8-2 out of the gates. They would respond, however, with a 9-0 run as center Brendan Haywood asserted himself inside while Nowitzki picked back up where he left off at following a season-high 30 points against Indiana Friday night.

And after eventually taking a double-digit lead, the Mavericks entered the second quarter with a 24-15 advantage despite five early turnovers.

Getting a lift from reserves Jason Terry and Brandan Wright, the Mavericks continued to control the pace of the game early in the second period while Nowitzki began to dominate as he did the night prior. Although Irving also started to look for his own shot, the lead would reach as much as 15 before the Mavs entered the halftime break with a 51-43 margin.

Led by Nowitzki’s 15 first-half points on 5-for-5 shooting and Haywood’s 10 points on 4-for-4 inside, the Mavericks overcame 11 turnovers and a 24-17 rebounding disadvantage. The defending champs also outshot the Cavaliers (9-13) through 24 minutes of action, 58.1 percent to 33.3 percent.

Coming out of the locker room, the Mavs’ sluggish play in the second half of games continued as the Cavaliers scored the first eight points of the third quarter. Carlisle was then forced to call timeout to regroup after ex-Mav Antawn Jamison cut the Dallas lead to just 59-57 with 6:48 left in the period. Irving then willed his team in front with both his scoring and play-making skills, as the Cavaliers took control with a 13-0 run. And after getting outscored 27-13 in the period, the Mavs entered the fourth down 70-64.

“I think we played the way we wanted to in the first half and we dictated the game. Going into the half, the momentum was kind of slowly changing and they came out in the second half and played their game. And before you know it, we were down and fighting back to get back in the game,” West explained.

“They picked up their energy and had a great third quarter,” Nowitzki added. “It was a ballgame and then it could go either way down the stretch. That’s really our fault for not having any energy in the third quarter.”

The Mavs wouldn’t go away, though, turning to Nowitzki to muster up a comeback. And after swishing a 3-pointer to break back into the scoring, the 7-footer found Wright inside for a dunk to tie the game at 70-all with 10:15 remaining.

“Wright has produced virtually every time we’ve put him in the game. He’s doing a terrific job,” Carlisle said of the big man after giving the former lottery pick the nod ahead of Ian Mahinmi.

“When coach calls on me, I need to be ready to perform no matter what the situation is — first, second, third or fourth quarter,” Wright said.

Wright then put the Mavs back ahead with a score at the basket, before Nowitzki took over the offensive duties while passing Elgin Baylor for 22nd on the NBA’ all-time scoring list in the process. But with the Mavs up just one, Terry’s patience paid off with a three from the corner to keep his team at a safe distance. That is until the Cavaliers charged right back, taking an 87-86 edge with 2:34 remaining on Irving’s driving score.

That deficit grew to three after Anderson Varejao hit a floater with just 41.4 seconds left. Then Terry’s perfect pair at the free throw line the next time down the floor was answered with another timely score by Irving inside the final seconds, before the Mavs’ star reserve and Wright both missed game-tying threes just before the buzzer.

In a losing cause, Nowitzki finished with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting and while collecting eight rebounds. Terry added 17 points off the bench as West and Wright both finished with 11 points. Haywood made it five Mavs in double figures with 10 points all in the first half.

Irving led four Cavaliers in double figures with 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting to go with seven assists.

“He’s a terrific young player and we didn’t guard him very well,” Carlisle said of the No. 1 pick in the draft. “He’s a very good penetrator and he made big plays. He was a great draft choice and he’s going to be a foundation piece here for more than a decade.”

Meanwhile, Varejao collected a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds, leading the Cavaliers to a 46-39 margin on the glass with 17 (11 in the first half) offensive rebounds. Committing 21 turnovers that turned into 19 Cleveland points, the Mavericks fell despite outshooting the Cavaliers, 47.8 percent to 39.8 percent.

“The combination of all the tough turnovers, 19 points off turnovers and 17 second-chance points was the difference,” Carlisle simply said.

The Mavs will now take Sunday off before two days of practice. The team returns to action Wednesday night in Denver in a second matchup with the Nuggets. That game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 8 p.m. CT. The Nuggets lead the season series 1-0 after a 115-93 win in Dallas on Dec. 26.

“We’re doing some good things, but we have to do a better job of sustaining and that’s on both ends of the court. We have a couple practice days. We have to put them to good use and we have to get better,” Carlisle concluded.

“Now, we’ve got to sit on this one,” Nowitzki added. “We have a day off tomorrow and we’ve got to sit on this one for three days. You know, it is what it is. If we get our point guard back pretty soon, I think we could definitely use him. But we’ve got to put in some work Monday and Tuesday. Enjoy this day off tomorrow as much as we can, get away a little bit and then get some good work in and work on the stuff we need to work on and then travel to Denver. And we know Denver is a great team, especially at home. So, we’ve got our hands full Wednesday.”

Single-game tickets are on sale and available at the American Airlines Center North Box Office, online at mavs.com, via phone by calling 214-747-MAVS or 1-800-4NBA-TIX and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Simon Mall in Garland and the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano).

Dr. Pepper Family Nights are here! Plans include four Mavs tickets and four McDonald’s extra value meals, starting at $49. Visit mavs.com or call 214-747-MAVS for a schedule of games and to purchase tickets.