DALLAS — Two days after being overwhelmed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Dallas Mavericks delivered a much different performance Sunday afternoon.
Behind a balanced offensive effort and a decisive second-half surge, Dallas defeated Cleveland 130–120 at American Airlines Center, bouncing back from Friday’s 33-point defeat and snapping a seven-game skid against the Cavaliers.
Rookie standout Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 27 points, setting the tone offensively with an aggressive approach throughout the game. Naji Marshall provided a major boost as well, finishing with 25 points and helping Dallas maintain pressure on Cleveland’s defense.
Dallas found its rhythm after halftime. After a tightly contested first half, the Mavericks began to create separation in the third quarter with improved ball movement and timely scoring runs that forced Cleveland to play from behind the rest of the afternoon.
P.J. Washington delivered a strong all-around performance, recording 20 points and 11 rebounds to anchor the Mavericks on both ends of the floor.
The victory offered a much-needed lift for Dallas, which entered the matchup struggling for consistency. The win marked just the Mavericks’ second victory in their last 11 games.
More importantly, it showed a response after Friday night’s 138–105 loss to the same Cavaliers team — a defeat that had exposed defensive lapses and offensive stagnation.
On Sunday, the Mavericks corrected many of those issues, pushing the tempo and finding multiple scoring options to keep Cleveland from regaining control.
Dallas will now look to build momentum from the bounce-back performance as the regular season continues to tighten in the Western Conference race.
