The Dallas Mavericks aimed to recover from a significant defeat against the Indiana Pacers by facing the formidable Cleveland Cavaliers team. It was a closely fought game that concluded with Max Strus making a 59-foot game-winning shot at the buzzer. The Mavericks were defeated with a final score of 121-119. 

Luka Doncic delivered an outstanding effort, scoring 45 points, dishing out 14 assists, and grabbing nine rebounds. Kyrie Irving scored 30 points, grabbed six rebounds, and provided three assists after a sluggish beginning. P.J. Washington was the sole Dallas player to score 11 points or more. 

Donovan Mitchell was the top scorer for the Cavs, contributing 31 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Strus scored 21 points, grabbed four rebounds, and made four assists, including the game-winning shot. Cleveland had many impressive performances, with Jarrett Allen standing out with 19 points and nine rebounds. Evan Mobley contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.  

Doncic led the Mavs to a slight lead in the beginning, scoring 11 points and providing five assists in the first quarter, resulting in a 24-23 edge. Both teams struggled with their perimeter shooting and frequently focused on playing defence in the paint. The situation deteriorated after Doncic left the game. 

The Cavaliers gained momentum in the second quarter by outscoring the Mavericks 18-7 when Doncic was off the court. Donovan Mitchell made a pull-up 3-pointer on his first play back on the court, giving Cleveland a 41-31 lead midway through the period. 

Mitchell’s accurate perimeter shooting extended the Cavs’ advantage, as his third successful shot increased his team’s lead to 15 points with 3:10 remaining in the first half. Max Strus executed a chase-down block on Doncic following a spin move, enabling Mitchell to retrieve the ball on the trail. 

Doncic started scoring consistently from long range, making four shots in a row to reduce the Mavericks’ deficit to four points just before halftime. Dallas was down 60-56 even though the Slovenian superstar contributed 27 points and six assists. 

In the first half, Irving had difficulty scoring on his shot attempts, prompting the Mavericks to primarily depend on Doncic seeking out defensive mismatches and playing one-on-one. The 2016 NBA champion quickly started playing well in the second half, making two difficult short-range jump shots with innovative techniques. 

Doncic assisted Dereck Lively II with a no-look pass, then scored in the paint to even the score at 60-60. Both sides started exchanging short bursts of scoring during the third quarter. Irving made a 3-point shot when isolated, reaching over 20 points like Doncic, and briefly putting Dallas ahead by one point.