Cavs destroy skeleton crew Mavs 144-101

The Cavs led by as many as 53 points in demolition derby.

Well, that was something.

The Cleveland Cavaliers bludgeoned the Dallas Mavericks 144-101 behind a franchise-record 27 three-pointers in what was a blowout from essentially tip-off on.

Sam Merrill scored a team-high 27 points on nine three-pointers and Evan Mobley added 22 points and 11 rebounds. No starter played more than 23 minutes and didn't see the court at all in the fourth quarter. The Cavs led 50-19 after the first quarter and had 91 points at the half, the latter being an organization record. Even if they scored zero points in the second quarter, they still would have led by five at the half.

Jaden Hardy led Dallas with 21 points and former Cavalier Dante Exum had 14 points in his second game of the season. Kyrie Irving was among the many Mavericks rotational players out with an injury or other designation. Such as a trade, perhaps.

There was an eerie fog over the game, and the body language of every Dallas player was reminiscent of mourning. Klay Thompson, who was 1-10 and played only 17 minutes, threw his hands up and slowly jogged down the court after Merrill drilled a corner three in the first quarter.

And who could blame him?

That undeniable aura was of course the Luka Doncic trade, which left the Mavs and the NBA at large in a state of disbelief. Surely Thompson did not come to Dallas with even the faintest thought that the organization would trade one of the best young players in the league on a whim, especially for an aging superstar and one first-round pick. But they did.

The Cavs, unphased and simply playing the team in front of them, did what championship-caliber teams do: take care of business.

The extra rest for the starters and additional tune-up time for the bench comes at a good time, as the Cavs will play the opposite of the team they just played on Tuesday night - the mighty Boston Celtics. Tip-off is at 7:30 on TNT from Rocket Mortage Fieldhouse.