Can Luka Doncic's Mavs Bounce Back, Avenge 20-Point Blown Lead vs. Cavs?
The Dallas Mavericks were a different team the last time they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers back on Dec. 27. Not only was that before Dallas' trades for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, but star point guard Kyrie Irving didn't play in that game either as the Mavs only scored 41 second-half points en route to blowing a 20-point lead and losing 113-100.
On Tuesday night, the Mavs will attempt to avenge that loss from earlier in the season as they take on the Cavs in what will be their second game of a tough four-game road trip. Dallas, after winning seven consecutive games, is coming off a 133-111 humbling loss to the Indiana Pacers, so there will be plenty of motivation in this one.
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Irving's return to Cleveland, the city he helped bring a championship to alongside LeBron James, will be a big storyline in this one, but also, we should keep an eye on what Luka Doncic is able to accomplish, given that Cleveland has the largest Slovenian population outside of Slovenia. Doncic has missed the last two games the Mavs played in Cleveland, so we would expect him to put on a show for his countrymen.
The Cavs have played some stellar basketball since the turn of the calendar year, as they won 17 out of 18 games from Jan. 3 through Feb. 10 while climbing to second-place in the Eastern Conference. However, they've had some hiccups since then, going just 2-3 over their last five games with the two wins coming against the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.
If the Mavs bring the correct energy and effort following an embarrassing blowout loss to the Pacers, expect them to bounce back into the win column ... and perhaps move up a spot or two in the Western Conference depending on how the rest of tonight's games go. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for extensive postgame coverage.
