Donovan Mitchell scored 27 of his 34 points in the first half to lead a balanced attack as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers led wire-to-wire in a 105-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
Six players scored in double figures for Cleveland, which had lost eight of its last nine road games. Lamar Stevens recorded season highs with 18 points and 11 rebounds, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley scored 14 points apiece, Darius Garland had 12 points, and Caris LeVert added 11.
Luka Doncic led Dallas with 30 points, while Christian Wood tallied 20 points and seven rebounds. Reggie Bullock had 12 points and Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Mitchell made six 3-pointers for Cleveland, which led by as many as 23 points in the second quarter and maintained a double-digit lead for much of the game.
The Mavericks pulled within 91-82 midway through the fourth quarter before Cleveland quickly regained control with a 14-4 run.
Doncic had six assists and five rebounds for the Mavericks, who shot 39.2 percent from the field and 13 of 38 (34.2 percent) from 3-point range.
Cleveland raced out to an 18-4 lead in the first quarter before Dallas rallied to cut the deficit to 26-19 at the end of the period.
After Dallas pulled within 34-30 midway through the second quarter, Cleveland answered with a 17-0 run and took a 60-41 lead into the break.
Mitchell made five 3-pointers during a dominant first half for the Cavaliers, who shot 60 percent from the field for the half while holding Dallas to 35 percent.
Doncic scored 12 points in the third quarter to help keep the Mavericks within striking distance, but Cleveland closed on a 9-3 run and held an 83-68 advantage heading into the final period.
Doncic has scored at least 20 points in 35 straight games — a streak that began last March — to break Mark Aguirre’s franchise record of 34 games in 1983-84.
–Field Level Media