The Dallas Mavericks secured a critical 120-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
The win, combined with the Minnesota Timberwolves’ (43-34) loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, ensured that the Mavericks could lose all five of their remaining games and still finish no worse than sixth in the Western Conference playoff standings.
Dallas (48-29) is now guaranteed not to fall into the play-in tournament for the No. 7-10 spots. This is vital as it will give the team a whole week of rest and practice after the April 10 regular-season finale before the beginning of the playoffs.
Also, the win over Cleveland, combined with a Wednesday loss by the Golden State Warriors (48-29) to the Phoenix Suns, puts the Mavericks in third place in the West.
Luka Doncic was phenomenal again, scoring 35 points and adding 13 assists and nine rebounds. He was just one rebound short of his second consecutive 30-point triple-double.
Doncic made 14-of-26 (53.8%) shot attempts, including 3-of-6 three-pointers.
Doncic was cheered on by the large assembly of Slovenian fans in attendance, who gave their fellow countryman a warm reception from the moment he stepped onto the court. Many fans touted Slovenian flags and apparel.
Cleveland is home to the largest Slovenian population in the U.S. — and anywhere outside Slovenia.
“We talked about there being a large Slovenian contingent in Cleveland on the plane,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He wanted to put on a good show and came to work. He comes to work every night.”
“When all the people come to see you, you want to put on a show,” Doncic added.
As for putting on a show, Donic began his performance right out of the gate. He had eight assists in the first quarter, including a flashy behind-the-back pass to Dorian Finney-Smith for a three-pointer.
Finney-Smith, who dubbed Cleveland “Luka’s second home,” finished with a career-high 28 points, including six three-pointers, many of which came off of passes from Doncic.
Kidd praised Luka’s passing ability.
“He knew when to pass the ball and when to attack. Luka will have two [guys] on the ball, and he trusts his teammates to make plays,” said Kidd.
However, the Cavaliers (42-34), the seventh-place team in the Eastern Conference, showed their skills in the next quarter. They took advantage of several defensive lapses by the Mavericks and won the second quarter 37-27 to take a six-point lead into halftime.
Cleveland held the lead until midway through the third quarter, when the momentum switched back to Dallas’ favor. Doncic scored 20 points in the third quarter alone, and the Mavericks outscored the Cavaliers 39-22 to take an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Finney-Smith hit three three-pointers in the quarter as he and Doncic combined for 31 of Dallas’s 39 points in the period. The Mavericks closed the third on a 15-2 run.
Cleveland was on Dallas’ heels in the fourth, but Doncic delivered the final dagger with a long three-pointer that extended the Mavericks‘ lead to 13, 116-103, with 4:08 remaining.
“He does a great job of playing at the right tempo and the right speed,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Doncic. “Tonight it was a ‘pick your poison’ because his teammates were making shots. He does a great job of finding them and setting them up. He’s a wizard with the ball in his hands.”
Ironically (in light of Bickerstaff’s comment), the Mavericks will play their second of four consecutive road games with a Friday game against the Washington Wizards.
