The Second Quarter Changed What Dallas’ Comeback Required

The Dallas Mavericks did not lose their chance in Cleveland during the third quarter. By then, they were already trying to repair the second.

Cleveland beat Dallas 127-117 on Saturday, and the decisive passage was an 18-point swing in the second quarter. The teams were tied 33-33 after one period. Cleveland then scored 38 points to Dallas’ 20, taking a 71-53 halftime lead that made every later Mavericks surge a matter of damage control.

The second quarter began with opportunities for Dallas’ supporting players to contribute. Cooper Flagg scored on a tip shot, and Daniel Gafford finished a dunk and added the free throw. Those were welcome makes from players around Irving. The Mavericks needed a full period of that support, because Cleveland’s scoring was coming from more than one place and kept coming.

Gafford later finished another alley-oop, this time on an Irving assist. Yet Cleveland had answers from Mario Hezonja, Proctor and Thomas Bryant. The Cavaliers did not have to manufacture one huge solo performance to take command. Dallas could get a good basket from Gafford and still find itself having to solve a different Cleveland scorer at the other end.

Jaylon Tyson supplied a running jumper and a three-point play. Craig Porter Jr. contributed a basket; Norchad Omier finished a layup and free throw. Proctor added a long three near the end of the half.

The names changed, but the effect accumulated. Cleveland’s 38 points in the quarter put Dallas into a 71–53 deficit, transforming an even opening into a game the Mavericks would have to chase.

The spread of scorers made the period especially damaging. There was no single Cleveland performance Dallas could outlast and hope the offense would disappear with it. The Mavericks had received baskets from several players of their own, but their 20 points were inadequate beside Cleveland’s production. The next successful Dallas stretch would have to recover that difference before it could even create a close finish.

Dallas’ third-quarter response was substantial. The Mavericks scored 38 points, with Kyrie Irving accounting for 20. His three-pointers at 8:06, 3:41 and 1:39 gave the period its momentum. He finished with 34 points and seven made threes overall. An offense that had struggled in the second quarter now had its leading scorer piling up makes.

It still produced only a four-point shift because Cleveland scored 34 in the same quarter. After Irving’s 29-footer at 1:39, Hezonja hit a three-pointer at 1:27. Riley Minix and Porter also scored before the quarter ended, and Cleveland led 105-91 going into the fourth. Dallas had supplied the fireworks; Cleveland had kept the lights on.

The broader numbers reinforce why the second quarter carried so much weight. Cleveland finished 48-for-90 from the field, or 53.3 percent, while Dallas made 39 of 94, or 41.5 percent. The Mavericks had some counterweights: they made 25 free throws to Cleveland’s 16 and scored 20 points off Cleveland’s 17 turnovers.

Those advantages helped Dallas score 64 points after halftime, but they could not cancel Cleveland’s 19-point edge in field-goal scoring.

Dallas also did enough late to make the final margin look less severe. It won the fourth quarter 26-22, and Irving continued scoring into the closing minutes. But a team that trails by 18 at halftime needs more than one explosive quarter; it needs that quarter to change the scoreboard faster than the opponent can respond. Cleveland never allowed that opening.

The second quarter changed what counted as success for Dallas. Winning a later period by four would have been valuable in an even game. From 18 behind, it was a modest repayment on a much larger debt.

Sources

ESPN — Mavericks–Cavaliers box score and play-by-play

Associated Press — Mavericks–Cavaliers report