Cavs run over shorthanded Mavs 134-122

The Cavaliers can’t stop winning by double figures.

The Dallas Mavericks were short-handed without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t play with their food. They took advantage of the situation and picked up their ninth straight win by 10 or more points with a 134-122 victory. It was the 22nd time they’ve won by double figures this season.

Evan Mobley led the way for the Cavs. He was Cleveland’s best player on both offense and defense as he contributed 34 points on 14-21 shooting which included going 3-6 from beyond the arc. We’re getting to the point now where it’s more surprising if Mobley had a game where he didn’t connect on at least a few threes.

As impressive as Mobley’s scoring was, his best play of the night was when he set up Jarrett Allen for an impressive alley-oop to officially put the game away in the fourth. His growth as a ball handler and a distributor this season is worth mentioning. It’s just easy to overlook both considering the improvements as an outside shooter, but getting better at those aspects of his game has also allowed him to make the leap that he has. Mobley ended with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in the win.

Cleveland’s other four starters each finished in double figures. Darius Garland added 16 points and 9 assists. Donovan Mitchell provided 15 points and 6 helpers with 2 steals. Allen had 11 points and 9 boards. Dean Wade finished with 10 points on 4-5 shooting.

Caris LeVert led the way off the bench with 17 points on 7-15 shooting with 4 rebounds and 2 assists. He also had this incredible circus shot that even he seemed surprised went in.

The Mavs deserve credit for how they battled throughout. There were multiple times they could’ve given up, but didn’t. The Cavaliers didn’t really let their foot off the gas either until the very end. That’s encouraging for Dallas even though it never felt like they had a chance to truly make this a game.

The Cavs finished their road trip with four convincing wins and remain undefeated against the Western Conference. This team continues to be incredibly impressive. The Cavs will start a four-game homestand on Sunday when they welcome the Charlotte Hornets to town.