Cleveland Cavaliers Blowout Dallas Mavericks To Close In on New York Knicks in East

The Cleveland Cavaliers closed the gap between them and the third-place New York Knicks with a statement win in Dallas over the Mavericks.

Mar 13, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) shoots as Dallas Mavericks forward Marvin Bagley III (35) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers got out of their slump and back to winning ways with a 138-105 win over the Mavericks in Dallas.

With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 41-26 overall and are slowly closing the gap between them and the third-place New York Knicks and second-place Boston Celtics.

The Cavaliers are just 1.5 games behind the Knicks and 2.5 games behind the Celtics, while still having a 7.5 game deficit on the first-place Detroit Pistons.

Evan Mobley Records Outrageous Performance vs Mavericks

Mar 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) brings the ball up court against Philadelphia 76ers forward Dominick Barlow (25) and forward Dalen Terry (14) during the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cavaliers were able to jump ahead quickly and were nearly out of sight at the end of the first quarter when they led 38-21 at the end of the first. Cavs big man Evan Mobley had 16 points in the first quarter, Mobley would tack on seven more points by halftime to make it the second-highest scoring half of his career so far. 

 The Cavaliers were able to extend the lead into the second half behind Donovan Mitchell’s production. Mitchell scored 12 in the third quarter and the Cavs would cruise the rest of the way, leading by as much as 35 points at one point in the fourth quarter. 

Cavaliers Were Able to Force Mavericks into Poor Shot Selection all Night

Throughout the game the Cavaliers were able to bait the Mavericks into poor shot selections and contested mid-range jumpers.

The Mavericks finished the game having shot just 44 percent from the floor and 27 percent from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers had a slight lead in the rebounding department, as they out-rebounded the Mavericks 45-40. 

Keon Ellis Continues to Demonstrate why he was a Smart Trade Acquisition at Deadline for Cavaliers

Mar 13, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Keon Ellis (14) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

An unsung hero in this game was the Cavaliers bench. Thomas Bryant came off the bench to offer up 11 points, while Dennis Schroder, Jaylon Tyson, and Nae’Qwan Tomlin all logged eight points in relief. The Keon Ellis trade continues to look like a good move for the Cavaliers, as he put up 13 points on 3/5 shooting from deep. 

Evan Mobley would finish with 29 points and seven rebounds, while James Harden finished with 17 points on 3-7 shooting from beyond the arc. 

The Cavaliers will now travel back to Cleveland where they will welcome the Mavericks as part of the two sides home-and-home game schedule. They will play Sunday in Cleveland, and the game can be watched on Fanduel Sports Network Ohio and NBATV.