Luka, Mavericks visit Mitchell, Cavaliers in interconfernce clash Tuesday
The Dallas Mavericks continue their four-game Eastern Conference road trip Tuesday when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Mavericks (33-24) have been one of the best teams in the West as of late, but saw their seven-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 133-111 blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers. Although Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 62 points Sunday, Dallas were not able to get meaningful contributions from the rest of its role players, including trade deadline acquisition PJ Washington who had just four points on 1-for-6 shooting. Thanks to their latest success, the Mavericks have climbed to eighth in the Western Conference standings, but the team will need production from their role players to complement the All-Star level play of Doncic and Irving if the team wishes to climb out of the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Doncic (nose), Josh Green (elbow), Dereck Lively (nose) and Maxi Kleber (nose) are all expected to play Tuesday, while Dante Exum (knee) is listed as doubtful.

Meanwhile the Cavaliers (37-19) have cooled off from their 18-2 record in the 20 games before the All-Star break, having lost two of their last three contests. They are coming off a 114-105 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday, but the Cavaliers will have to prove that their ascension to the second seed in the Eastern Conference was not due to a soft schedule. Much like the Mavericks, the Cavs’ success over the last stretch of the regular season will come down to contributions from its role players like Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Max Strus to complement All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell. A top-two finish in the East is in the books for Cleveland if the team can continue its momentum.

Tuesday’s contest is the second and final matchup between the Mavericks and Cavaliers this season, with Cleveland winning the first contest, 113-110, on Dec. 27.
Posted on: 2/26/2024 2:59 PM