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CLEVELAND — Tyrese Proctor recorded the first triple-double of his career Saturday night, and a Cleveland Cavaliers team missing six regular rotation players beat the Dallas Mavericks 127-117 at Rocket Arena. Proctor finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Cleveland did not trail over the final 30 minutes.
The Cavaliers played without Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Peyton Watson, and Sam Merrill one night after a 133-121 loss at Miami. All five starters scored at least 18 points, and Cleveland shot 53.3% from the field, outrebounded Dallas 54-39, and finished with 31 assists to the Mavericks’ 23.
Cleveland improved to 7-7. Dallas fell to 7-6 with its second straight loss after Thursday’s 133-94 defeat at Minnesota.
Proctor’s points and assists were career highs, and his rebounds matched his career best, Dallas Sports Journal reported. He became the first Cavaliers player with a triple-double since Max Strus on April 14, 2024, according to TalkBasket. Mario Hezonja scored a season-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, and rookie Meleek Thomas set a career high with 20.
Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 34 points on 11-of-25 shooting, including 7-of-16 from three, and scored 20 of them in the third quarter. Cooper Flagg had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists but went 6-of-19 and missed all six of his 3-point attempts.
Proctor had set a career high with 22 points in Friday’s loss in Miami. Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said he had worried about how much the second-year guard would have left on the second night of a back-to-back, according to TalkBasket.
“The pull-up threes, the ISOs, paint touches, and then doing it on the defensive end,” Atkinson said.
Cleveland’s players had flown home from Miami that morning. Mavericks coach Dusty May gave his assessment of how Dallas competed against them, according to Dallas Sports Journal.
“Disappointing road performance by us as a group. We didn’t match their desire and determination to compete, and everyone in our travel party needs to be better. But hats off to Cleveland. Those guys got off a plane, and they were ready to compete at a high level,” May said.
“And they threw the first punch, and then the second quarter, the shot making was impressive, and they were able to build a lead, and we were playing from behind the rest of the game,” May continued.
Cavaliers Turn A One-Point Deficit Into An 18-Point Halftime Lead
The first quarter had seven lead changes and six ties. Caleb Martin scored 9 points in the period for Dallas, and Thomas made three 3-pointers for Cleveland. The last one, a pull-up with 19 seconds left, tied it 33-33.
Daniel Gafford’s putback dunk gave the Mavericks a 44-43 lead with 6:25 left in the second quarter, their last lead of the night. Cleveland scored 28 of the next 37 points. Jaylon Tyson scored 12 of his 18 points in the quarter, and his three-point play started a 10-0 burst that included baskets from Craig Porter Jr., Thomas, and Norchad Omier. Proctor hit a 30-footer just before the horn for a 71-53 halftime lead.
Cleveland outscored Dallas 38-20 in the second quarter. Martin, who had 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting by halftime, was asked about the urgency gap between the teams, according to Dallas Sports Journal.
“Like we just didn’t have any. Honestly, we just came out flat, and I think all the way down the line, including myself, we came out flat. It impacted the game from the jump and set the tone defensively and kind of let the offense kind of dictate what we were doing for the rest of the game, and yeah, we just didn’t come out and give our best version of that,” Martin said.
Kyrie Irving’s 20-Point Third Quarter Pulls Dallas Within Nine
Hezonja’s fast-break layup with 9:27 left in the third quarter made it 79-58, Cleveland’s first 21-point lead. The margin was 95-74 after a Proctor step-back 3-pointer with 4:27 left.
Dallas answered with a 14-2 run, and Irving scored 11 of those points. He hit three 3-pointers in the run, and his pull-up from 29 feet with 1:39 left cut the deficit to 97-88. Hezonja answered with a 25-foot 3-pointer on the next trip. He scored 12 points in the quarter, and Cleveland scored 8 of the last 11 points of the period for a 105-91 lead.
Saturday was one of three games the Cavaliers scheduled this season to mark the 10th anniversary of their 2016 championship. Cleveland drafted Irving first overall in 2011, and his go-ahead 3-pointer in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals was replayed during a first-quarter timeout, Mavs.com reported.
May had said Dallas did not match Cleveland’s desire to compete. Irving was asked about that criticism from his coach, according to Dallas Sports Journal.
“When your head coach is calling it out, that’s got to do something to you, just in terms of how you handle it and how you respond. But he’s absolutely right. I think these last few games, we haven’t even been close to matching physicality of the teams coming in against us and against the best league in the world, against the best players in the world, and your margin for error is very small,” Irving said.
“So we just don’t have time to feel our way through the game and not do the little things that we speak on in preparation, or when we’re in preparation, or in just practice, and just need better carryover. So he’s absolutely right, and that’s holding us accountable to the highest level when we got to respond,” Irving continued.
Tyrese Proctor Leads A Cleveland Lineup Built From The Bench
Proctor, the 49th overall pick in 2025, made 10 of 19 shots and had four more assists than any other player in the game. Thomas Bryant posted season highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds, according to Dallas Sports Journal. Tyson’s 18 points were a season high, and Omier set career highs with 13 points and 8 rebounds on 5-of-5 shooting. Porter added 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
The Cavaliers scored 23 points on 19 isolation possessions, according to Synergy Sports data cited by Dallas Sports Journal, and Dallas scored 3 points on six. Cleveland also outscored the Mavericks 54-42 in the paint. On Cleveland’s guards and their speed, size, and shooting, May pointed to Dallas’ defense on the ball.
“Our inability to guard one on one was the biggest issue, and then they were able to get behind our defense, our switches. I thought their passing, but their isolation offense was, and shot making was the difference,” May said.
May said he had studied Proctor on film before the game.
“I’ve been impressed on film. I was actually talking about him earlier on the bus ride over today. He’s really improved. Seems like he gets better. He’s playing with a high level of confidence, and then these guys with speed, size, and shooting ability, they’ve been able to line us up and play really, really good one-on-one basketball,” May said.
“I mean, those guys are really, really good one-on-one players. I thought their guards did a nice job on the glass as well when they were undersized, and it seemed like Hezonja made several back-breaking shots. We’d make a run, and he would make a big play, and credit to him. I mean, he’s been obviously a big pickup for them,” May continued.
Cleveland’s trip home was disrupted by Friday’s nationwide ground stop, which kept the team in South Florida after the loss to Miami, Fear The Sword reported. Proctor said the Cavaliers were short on players and boarded an 8 a.m. flight Saturday, Australian Associated Press reported.
“It just shows how resilient we are. How connected we are, how deep we are,” Proctor said.
Proctor and Irving both played at Duke and both have Australian roots. Irving was born in Melbourne, and Proctor is from Sydney. Irving was asked about Proctor’s performance, according to Dallas Sports Journal.
“Ah, man, my Aussie brother, man. It’s something about this Aussie man in the league, man. I’ll tell you, man. It’s something. I don’t know what’s going on in the water over there. Maybe Team Australia is coming up for gold in the next few years, but he’s, he played with a lot of confidence tonight, and he led their team,” Irving said.
“It was great to, I don’t want to say be a part of out there, but just like when you’re seeing someone that you’ve watched grow from a young player, be in college for as long as he was, didn’t anticipate him being in college that long. Being a Duke Blue Devil as well, and having that connection, just seeing him mature, and also playing behind great players, that sometimes get a little difficult. So tonight, he definitely has something to prove, and he went out and did it, and we didn’t shut off his water quick enough,” Irving continued.
Proctor’s Back-To-Back 3-Pointers Put Cleveland Up 22
Proctor made consecutive 3-pointers 31 seconds apart early in the fourth quarter, and the second made it 113-91 with 10:27 left, Cleveland’s largest lead. Dallas got no closer than 10 the rest of the way. Irving’s 10-foot pull-up made it 122-112 with 2:23 left, and Flagg’s three-point play with 28 seconds remaining set the final margin.
Dallas committed all 8 of its turnovers before halftime and outscored Cleveland 64-56 over the final two quarters, according to Dallas Sports Journal. Martin scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds. Naji Marshall had 12 points and 5 assists off the bench, and P.J. Washington Jr. and Gafford scored 10 apiece.
May would not speculate on whether Cleveland’s absences affected his players’ approach. Martin was asked whether the Mavericks thought about who was not playing for the Cavaliers, according to Dallas Sports Journal.
“I’m sure naturally, I’m not gonna say it out loud and act like I’m sure none of us thought that for one second. But that’s where the good teams are. That’s where great teams are great. That’s why good teams are good. It doesn’t matter who’s playing. They stick to the plan,” Martin said.
“They come in and execute the game plan, no matter who’s playing. Even if there’s just players that are shifted, the mindset’s still the same. The concepts are still the same. The effort’s still the same, and that’s how, that’s the only way to be a good team,” Martin continued.
What’s Next For The Cavaliers And Mavericks
Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, and Merrill were inactive for Cleveland along with Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Ernest Udeh Jr. Allen and Watson did not play. Dallas played without Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery), Max Christie (left ankle sprain), Sergio de Larrea (right knee sprain), and Tarik Biberović (right heel bursitis).
The Mavericks finish a back-to-back Sunday against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. CT. The Cavaliers host the Chicago Bulls on Monday at 6 p.m. CT.
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