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Big sports day as the Browns play the Ravens at home followed by the Cavs and Mavs. Downtown should be hopping. It will be in the mid-30's with a 30-40% chance of rain. Personally I'll be on the couch this evening.
This game is a rematch of the Cavs' 105-90 win in Dallas three days ago. The Cavs' defense was outstanding as they held the Mavs to 22 points under their home scoring average. Doncic got his 30 (with some help from the refs) but was only 9-for-23 and had 5 turnovers. Stevens and others did a good job limiting his impact.
Other than Doncic and Dinwiddie the other three Dallas starters combined for 14 points in 78 minutes.
It was not a stellar offensive night for the Cavs but the defense carried the day along with a tremendous offensive game by Donovan Mitchell with 34 points on 13-for-20. He had 27 at halftime and in the second half the Mavs tried to double him, opening the door for several dunks off Mitchell hockey assists.
It will be interesting to see how both teams adjust since they will have the same personnel. Doncic only scored 11 in the first half on Wednesday and the Mavs were down by 19 at halftime. In the second half he tried to take over the game and pulled them to within 10 points before the Cavs hit the afterburners.
I expect Doncic to come out more aggressive tonight and get more involved in the first quarter. Last game the Cavs "threw the first punch", getting out to a 16-2 lead and they also had a 17-0 run in the second quarter.
The Mavs will try something different against Mitchell, maybe trying to get more physical or deny him the ball. I think they'll try to throw the first punch this time. It's tough to dig out of a hole on the road, especially on the second night of a back-to-back.
Both teams played last night. The Mavs were at home and had a laugher against Portland, scoring 72 points in the first half and coasting from there. The game ended at around 11 p.m. Eastern time and then the Mavs had to fly to Cleveland, probably arriving around 4 a.m. Big advantage for the Cavs.
The Cavs are 13-2 at home while the Mavs are 3-9 on the road, so it appears to be an easy win especially factoring in the early morning travel by the Mavs. Not to mention the 15-point win in Dallas three nights ago.
Just to summarize, the Mavs are almost the slowest team in the NBA (28th in shots per game), they have the highest percentage of 3-point shots (49%), and the second fewest turnovers per possession. They walk the ball up the floor, take care of it, and jack up a 3 almost half the time. Defensively they are 5th in steals per play and 27th in blocks. The Cavs shot 52.6% from the field Wednesday and had 26 assists to only 6 turnovers, which is exceptional.
If the Cavs come out strong like they did in Dallas (26-19 after the first quarter) and let the Mavs know they are ready to play, they should be able to control the game. Dallas will be tired after playing last night plus a long, early morning flight, so if the Cavs play with early intensity and wear them down they should win easily.
The Mavs went with a 6-man rotation Wednesday with six players getting 25-39 minutes and nobody else more than 12. They're pretty thin as Maxi Kleber, their backup center, is out and now starting center Dwight Powell is listed as unlikely to play.
With Powell out I expect Christian Wood to start. Wood scored 32 last night with 12 rebounds and had 20 and 7 against the Cavs with a +9. He's 6'9", 214, so Allen or Mobley should be able to handle him. However, he's hitting 40% from deep on the season so they can't leave him alone on pick-and-pops like they did Wednesday. He was 4-for-7 last night on 3's.
Davis Bertans is 6'10" but rarely plays and is listed as day-to-day. We may have a JaVale McGee sighting as the Mavs are almost out of bigs.
This game is a rematch of the Cavs' 105-90 win in Dallas three days ago. The Cavs' defense was outstanding as they held the Mavs to 22 points under their home scoring average. Doncic got his 30 (with some help from the refs) but was only 9-for-23 and had 5 turnovers. Stevens and others did a good job limiting his impact.
Other than Doncic and Dinwiddie the other three Dallas starters combined for 14 points in 78 minutes.
It was not a stellar offensive night for the Cavs but the defense carried the day along with a tremendous offensive game by Donovan Mitchell with 34 points on 13-for-20. He had 27 at halftime and in the second half the Mavs tried to double him, opening the door for several dunks off Mitchell hockey assists.
It will be interesting to see how both teams adjust since they will have the same personnel. Doncic only scored 11 in the first half on Wednesday and the Mavs were down by 19 at halftime. In the second half he tried to take over the game and pulled them to within 10 points before the Cavs hit the afterburners.
I expect Doncic to come out more aggressive tonight and get more involved in the first quarter. Last game the Cavs "threw the first punch", getting out to a 16-2 lead and they also had a 17-0 run in the second quarter.
The Mavs will try something different against Mitchell, maybe trying to get more physical or deny him the ball. I think they'll try to throw the first punch this time. It's tough to dig out of a hole on the road, especially on the second night of a back-to-back.
Both teams played last night. The Mavs were at home and had a laugher against Portland, scoring 72 points in the first half and coasting from there. The game ended at around 11 p.m. Eastern time and then the Mavs had to fly to Cleveland, probably arriving around 4 a.m. Big advantage for the Cavs.
The Cavs are 13-2 at home while the Mavs are 3-9 on the road, so it appears to be an easy win especially factoring in the early morning travel by the Mavs. Not to mention the 15-point win in Dallas three nights ago.
Just to summarize, the Mavs are almost the slowest team in the NBA (28th in shots per game), they have the highest percentage of 3-point shots (49%), and the second fewest turnovers per possession. They walk the ball up the floor, take care of it, and jack up a 3 almost half the time. Defensively they are 5th in steals per play and 27th in blocks. The Cavs shot 52.6% from the field Wednesday and had 26 assists to only 6 turnovers, which is exceptional.
If the Cavs come out strong like they did in Dallas (26-19 after the first quarter) and let the Mavs know they are ready to play, they should be able to control the game. Dallas will be tired after playing last night plus a long, early morning flight, so if the Cavs play with early intensity and wear them down they should win easily.
The Mavs went with a 6-man rotation Wednesday with six players getting 25-39 minutes and nobody else more than 12. They're pretty thin as Maxi Kleber, their backup center, is out and now starting center Dwight Powell is listed as unlikely to play.
With Powell out I expect Christian Wood to start. Wood scored 32 last night with 12 rebounds and had 20 and 7 against the Cavs with a +9. He's 6'9", 214, so Allen or Mobley should be able to handle him. However, he's hitting 40% from deep on the season so they can't leave him alone on pick-and-pops like they did Wednesday. He was 4-for-7 last night on 3's.
Davis Bertans is 6'10" but rarely plays and is listed as day-to-day. We may have a JaVale McGee sighting as the Mavs are almost out of bigs.
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