Mavericks 102 Cavaliers 97: Game 43 Review

Headline
Mavs blow most of 24 point lead, make enough plays down the stretch to hang on.

Leaders
Mavs
Points: Ellis, 22
Rebounds: Nowitzki, 10
Assists: Ellis, 8
+-: Nowitzki, +19
Cavs
Points: Irving, 26
Rebounds: Varejao, 21
Assists: Irving, 9
+-: Varejao, +12

Player of the Game
Monta Ellis
22 pts., 8 ast., 8-16 FG

X-Factor
DeJuan Blair
13 pts., 5 rbs., 5-7 FG

Goat
Dion Waiters
17 scoreless minutes, 0-4 FG

Play of the Game
Mavs led by Brandan Wright's on-the-ball defense, force a 5 second violation on Cleveland, with 3 seconds left in a 3 point game.

Stat of the Game
Dallas bench outscores the Cavs bench, 33-8.

Additional Notes
Samuel Dalembert left the game and did not return early in the 3rd quarter because of a strained left shoulder.
The Mavs have won 7 out of 9 road games, and evened their record away from home at 11-11.
The Mavericks are 11-4 against the East this year, and face East teams in their next 3 games.
Cleveland's struggling rookie Anthony Bennett, the first pick in this year's draft, was a DNP- Coaches Decision.

Quote of Note
"This was a big bounce-back win from an embarrassing loss the other day. We'll be a great team if we continue to play like that with our back against the wall when we face adversity."
Monta Ellis

Next Up
The Mavericks (25-18) head north of the border to face the Toronto Raptors (20-20), Wednesday at 6:00 CST.