The Dallas Mavericks, rocked by the sudden commerce of celebrity Luka Doncic and wracked by accidents, have been blown out 144-101 by the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
The Cavaliers remained 5 and a half video games forward of the Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference after the reigning champion Celtics matched the most important comeback of the season, erasing a 26-point deficit late within the third quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-110.
In an inauspicious begin to the post-Doncic period, the Mavs got here stumbling out of the gate, hindered not solely by the emotional aftermath of the deal introduced on Saturday night time but additionally by the harm absences of a string of normal starters, together with Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.
With Anthony Davis, the star huge man acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in trade for Doncic, and Dallas-bound Laker Max Christie not but accessible for his or her new staff, the Mavs have been outscored 50-19 within the first quarter.
There was little let-up from the Cavs, who poured in a franchise-record 26 three-pointers and led by as many as 53 factors.
Sam Merrill got here off the bench to guide the Cavs with 27 factors, together with 9 3-pointers on 13 makes an attempt. It was his closing 3-pointer that broke the document of 25 in a recreation that the Cavs had achieved twice earlier than.
But Merrill was simply one in every of eight Cleveland gamers to attain in double figures.
Evan Mobley added 22 factors and 11 rebounds and Darius Garland chipped in 17 factors and 10 assists earlier than sitting out your complete fourth quarter together with the remainder of the Cavs starters.
Jaden Hardy led the Mavericks with 21 factors off the bench. Dante Exum, enjoying simply his second recreation of the season after October wrist surgical procedure, scored 14 however sharpshooter Klay Thompson had simply two factors on 1-of-10 capturing.
In a pre-game press convention targeted largely on the commerce, Dallas’s Jason Kidd seemed like a coach who knew simply what his staff can be up towards lower than 24 hours after the deal despatched shockwaves by the league.
“So you guys don’t have any questions about the game?” he requested reporters a bit wistfully, earlier than studying out an inventory of seven absentees that included each Christie and Davis, who have been listed as inactive attributable to “trade pending.”
On a day when the Doncic-Davis commerce had the NBA buzzing, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla opened his pre-game remarks in Philadelphia by telling reporters: “Don’t ask me about the trade, because I don’t really care.”
Celtics surge late
The Celtics appeared to have the identical nonchalant angle to the 76ers within the early going however flipped a change within the second half.
Ice chilly from 3-point vary within the first half, the Celtics made 14 of their 22 makes an attempt from past the arc within the second half and completed with 21 treys.
Jayson Tatum scored 25 of his 35 factors within the second half and the Celtics authored a 20-1 scoring run within the fourth quarter to grab management.
Jaylen Brown added 21 factors and 10 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 18 factors for the Celtics.
Tyrese Maxey had his fifth straight 30-point recreation, main the Sixers with 34.
Elsewhere, Cade Cunningham scored 22 factors and grabbed 15 rebounds to guide the Detroit Pistons to a 127-119 victory over the Chicago Bulls, Detroit withstanding a triple-double of 20 factors, 10 rebounds and 10 assists by Bulls middle Nikola Vucevic.
Source: www.dailysabah.com