The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off one of the wildest wins of the season so far, absolutely torching the Dallas Mavericks 127-117 on Saturday night, and get this: every single one of their usual starters was sitting on the bench. Yeah, you read that right. Cleveland, coming into the game with a 6-7 record against Dallas’s 7-5, didn’t just win, they sent a message with their B-team.
Travel Nightmares and Bench Mob Dreams
So, why were James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen all chilling on the sidelines? Blame it on a brutal back-to-back and some wild travel drama. The Cavs were down in Miami on Friday night, taking a 133-121 loss. Then, a nationwide domestic ground stop meant their travel plans went sideways. Even though their game finished after the stop ended, the decision was made: they flew back to Cleveland Saturday morning, landed around noon, and had a ridiculously quick turnaround for the night game. The team wisely ruled out all five starters. This meant we got a look at a whole new starting five for Cleveland: Mario Herzonja, Thomas Bryant, Jaylon Tyson, Tyrese Proctor, and Meleek Thomas. And they were facing a full-strength Mavericks squad, mind you.
Proctor’s Masterclass and Dallas’s Embarrassment
This new lineup wasn’t just filling minutes, they were BALLING OUT. Tyrese Proctor, man, he led the charge with a monster triple-double, dropping 24 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists. That’s big-time stuff! Herzonja wasn’t far behind with 22 points, and Thomas Bryant slammed in a double-double of his own, with 19 points and 11 boards. Even the bench, which was shallow with only three players used, made a huge impact. Norchad Omier added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Craig Porter Jr. was everywhere with nine points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Meanwhile, Dallas had all five of its starters hit double-digits, with Kyrie Irving pacing them with 34 points and Cooper Flagg adding 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. But seriously, how do you lose by 10 points to a team that rested its entire starting lineup? That’s gotta sting if you’re a Mavs fan.
Cleveland gets a much-needed day off after that wild ride and will be back in action on Monday against the Chicago Bulls. Dallas, on the other hand, has its own back-to-back to deal with and will wrap up its three-game road trip on Sunday against the Boston Celtics. The question now for Dallas is, how do you recover from a loss like that?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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