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 "No, just the most recent one," Cleveland forward LeBron James said.
"Obviously, we played a great game. The best thing about tonight, we
played 48 minutes tonight, we shared the ball offensively, we moved
the ball, we pushed the ball, we defended and we played a great
game."
James scored 27 points, and the Cavaliers sustained their recent
mastery of Western Conference opponents by slamming the Mavericks
127-94 at American Airlines Center.
The Cavaliers (41-25) won for the 12th time in their past 13 games
against the deeper West, and they appear to be peaking with the
regular season winding down. Cleveland is an NBA-best 22-5 since
Jan. 15.
James has tortured the Mavericks since losing to Dallas in the 2011
NBA Finals. The four-time MVP knocked down 10 of 14 shots, including
four of six 3-point attempts, and added eight assists and seven
rebounds. He became the Cavaliers' all-team leader in assists,
surpassing Mark Price.
While James was the catalyst in another blowout win, he didn't do it
alone.
Point guard Kyrie Irving had 22 points, and shooting guard J.R.
Smith drained five 3-pointers and scored 21 points. Power forward
Kevin Love recorded his team-best 33rd double-double with 21 points
and 14 rebounds. Center Timofey Mozgov scored 17 as all five
Cleveland starters finished in double figures.
"I thought the starters played great," Cavs coach David Blatt said.
"And I thought the guys -- I like to call them second starters -- I
thought they played great, too."
The Cavaliers' prowess from downtown helped turn a 14-point lead at
the break into a blowout in the second half. Cleveland made 15 of 32
shots from beyond the arc, its 27th game with at least 10
3-pointers.
The Mavericks (41-25) opened a five-game homestand by continuing to
slide. Dallas lost for the fifth time in seven games, falling behind
the San Antonio Spurs into seventh place in the West.
"We have an understanding that our conference is so competitive and
so close, in two weeks we could be a three seed, and in two weeks we
could be the 10th seed," Mavs forward Chandler Parsons said. "So we
obviously know that in the back of our minds we control our own
destiny. So we just have to get it together and finish these last
games strong. We will be playing our best basketball going into the
playoffs."
The Cavaliers play at San Antonio on Thursday in another matchup
that is personal to James. The Spurs overpowered Miami in the last
year's NBA Finals, ending James' four-year stay with the Heat.
James isn't only one looking forward to the test against the Spurs.
"This road trip is very important," Irving said. "We had a good team
win tonight and handled our business. Now we have to go to San
Antonio, who has been playing extremely well so far."
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Parsons scored a team-high 18 in his second game back since
returning from an ankle injury. Shooting guard Monta Ellis had 17
points, and center Amar'e Stoudemire scored 15 off the bench. Power
forward Dirk Nowitzki (13 points) endured a miserable 3-of-10
showing from the floor.
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said he was "sick to my stomach" after
watching his team's performance.
"After the first quarter, it was our worst performance of the year,
just flat out," he said. "We just did a horrible job, and I'm taking
full responsibility for what happened the last three quarters.
That's a horrible job of coaching these guys and preparing them."
After a costly turnover to end the first quarter, James opened the
second period with a pair of 3-pointers, and the Cavaliers took
control. Irving and Smith heated up as well, and Cleveland rode into
halftime up 67-53. That Cavs trio combined for 49 points on 18-of-29
shooting in the half, 7-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Parsons had 10 of his 15 first-half points during a wild first
quarter that ended with a Dallas flurry for a 31-26 lead. The
Mavericks had spurts of 10-0 and 11-1, while the Cavs answered with
11-0 and 7-0 runs.
NOTES: Cavs F LeBron James broke the team's all-time assist record
with his first helper of the night. James ended the game with 4,214
assists. Mark Price held the old mark of 4,206. ... Mavs F Al-Farouq
Aminu left in the first half with a left shoulder injury and did not
return. ... The Mavericks showed a video tribute to Cleveland F
Shawn Marion, who played five years in Dallas and is retiring after
this season. "I've had a wonderful career," said Marion, a critical
piece of Dallas' 2011 championship team. "It's not quite over yet,
but I think it's time." ... Marion (hip) didn't play, but he could
return by the end of Cleveland's four-game road trip. ... James and
Cleveland F Kevin Love entered the game owning the top two scoring
averages against Dallas since the 2011-12 season. ... Dallas G Devin
Harris returned after missing two games with a hand injury.
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