Mavericks 109 Cavaliers 90: Game 35 Recap

The Lead
Mavs continue their dominance of the East, as they have little problem with the LeBron-less Cavs.

Box Score 

Leaders
Mavs
Points: Ellis, 20
Rebounds: Chandler, 8
Assists: Rondo, 8
+-: Chandler, +14
Cavs
Points: Love, 30
Rebounds: Thompson, 11
Assists: Dellavedova, 7
+-: Jones, Kirk, -2

Game Ball
Monta Ellis
20 points, 8-15 FG, 3-4 FT

X-Factor
J.J. Barea
14 points, 4 assists,  6-7 FG

Goat Horns
Dion Waiters
8 points, 4-14 FG, 0-4 3PT

Play of the Game
Rajon Rondo connects on wide open alley-oop dunk with Tyson Chandler with 2:45 to go, that was emblematic of the ease the Mavs shredded the Cavs defense. 

Stat of the Game
The Mavs ball movement resulted on 30 assists on 44 made baskets, compared to only 10 turnovers.

Of Note

• The Mavs are now 10-0 on the road against the East.
• The Mavericks 5 game winning streak is tied for the longest current win streak in the league.
• Already without LeBron James, Cleveland lost Kyrie Irving for the game in the third quarter, with lower back tightness.
• Dirk is now 13 points away from passing Moses Malone for 7th on the NBA's career scoring list.
• Greg Smith left the game in the 2nd quarter with a muscle strain on his right side.
• Today was the 15th annivesery of Mark Cuban's purchase of the Mavericks.

Grades
Nowitzki: A
Parsons: A-
Chandler: A
Ellis: A
Rondo: A-
Jefferson: A
Harris: B+
Smith: C+
Aminu: A
Barea: A+

Quote of Note
 "We wanted all of the games on this trip. I think that's how we approached it: no letdowns. In my career, we've lost numerous games where the best player on the other team was out. I think we were all focused. We talked before the game that wanted to be in attack mode on both ends of the floor."
Dirk on playing the Cavs without LeBron

Tweets of the Day

The only interview that mattered was the Stuart Scott interview on the last day of the NBA season #RIPStuartScott pic.twitter.com/5ZdDoKz3HG
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) January 4, 2015

Congrats @dallascowboys, way to finish! #FinishTheFight pic.twitter.com/PxG07L3TLP
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 5, 2015

Next Up
The Mavericks (25-10) look to continue their Eastern dominance when they say hello to the Brooklyn Nets (16-17), Monday at 6:30.