2 studs and 1 dud for Cavs from Wednesday’s win over the Mavericks

It sure is nice to have Donovan Mitchell back in the lineup, huh? The three-time All-Star, who missed two games over the weekend with lower leg soreness, led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 105-90 win over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

He was back in Cleveland’s loss on Monday night at the San Antonio Spurs, but in this last game, the man from Louisville had 34 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the field, and was especially sharp from the jump. The Cavaliers jumped out to a seven-point lead after quarter one, and kept the pressure on to go up 19 by the halftime break.

As usual, Luka Doncic was the guy who tried to keep the Mavericks in the game all night. He also scored 30 points, but on 9-of-23 shooting, including a poor 25% (2-of-8) from deep. Outside of Doncic, the Mavericks got only 34 combined points from the rest of their starting lineup, not to mention, not a single player in that group, Doncic included, had a (+/-) higher than -15.

As for the Cavs, Mitchell proved his worth yet again, but also had some help from an unlikely source. Lamar Stevens, starting at the wing, had 18 points, and put in a solid defensive effort. On top of that, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley each had 14 points.

Before the Cavaliers start their biggest homestand of the year beginning on Friday night, let’s take a look at who stood out for the Cavaliers last night.