*** There are road trips, and then there are historic road trips.
The Cavaliers just completed the latter – blowing out their fourth straight Western Conference heavyweight in Dallas, punctuating the four-game sweep with a dominating 134-122 victory on Friday night. Like every game on the trip, Cleveland delivered the knockout blow early against the shorthanded Mavericks – closing the first quarter on a 15-0 run, taking a double-digit lead into the second quarter and holding it the rest of the way.
Overall, in the four-game Western Conference trip, Kenny Atkinson’s Cavaliers won by an average of 14.0 points per – shooting 51 percent from the floor, 41 percent from deep, averaging 129.5 points and 33.8 assists.
Overall, the white-hot Wine & Gold have won nine straight – all by double-figures – have won 13 of their last 14 since December 1 and improved to a league-best 30-4 with Friday’s victory. They became just the 11th team in league history to start the season 30-4 or better – fourth since 2000.
Against a Mavericks team missing both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Cavs were typically effective – shooting 53 percent from the from, handing out 38 assists and committing just eight turnovers. Cleveland scored at least 30 points in every quarter, no player logged more than 30 minutes of work, and seven guys finished in double-figures.
*** Fresh off being named December’s Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month, Evan Mobley led all scorers with 34 points, going 14-for-21 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from deep, leading Cleveland with 10 boards, adding four assists and a pair of blocks. The 4th-year big, who’s plus/minus mark on Friday was +32 – moved into the franchise’s all-time top 10 in blocks with his second rejection of the night.
Darius Garland chipped in with 16 points and a game-high nine assists and Donovan Mitchell pitched in with 15 points, six assists and a pair of steals. Jarrett Allen finished with 11 points, nine boards and a block and Dean Wade added 10 points and a pair of swats in the win.
Mitchell talked about the team’s sharp ball movement again on Friday night. “We know that when the ball's going to come back to you, it's easier to make that extra pass. And I think that's what you're starting to see with this group, and we'll continue to see, is (us) making the right read over and over and over again. It leads to good basketball, and that's what you seeing.”
*** The Cavaliers bench was solid again on Friday night – led by its two top scorers, Caris LeVert and Georges Niang – who finished with 17 and 15 points, respectively, in the win. LeVert added four boards and a pair of steals; Niang was 3-of-5 from long-range.
Ty Jerome added nine points and five assists, and Max Strus offset a rough shooting night by leading all reserves with seven dimes.
LeVert talked about the team’s winning mentality in the four-game road sweep. “I think when you come in on the road, you kind of have the mentality that the odds are kind of stacked against you. The crowd's not with you, you may not get the right call from the ref. Momentum swings. But you just have to be with the group and have kind of an us-vs-everyone mentality. And I think that's what we did for the most part on this whole trip. We kind of just weathered the storm each and every time and just kept punching.”
*** After scorching through their four-game roadie, the Wine & Gold return home for four straight – beginning with a Sunday evening battle against Miles Bridges and the Hornets. The Thunder roll in on Wednesday night for a big-time showdown between the two top teams in each Conference, followed by a Thursday night meeting against the Raptors. One week from Sunday, Cleveland closes out the homestand when the Pacers roll in for the first half of a home-and-home matchup.