Doncic dazzles, Mavericks beat Cavaliers 111-98

Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – Luka Doncic's stellar rookie season continued on Saturday night, as he led the Mavericks to a 111-98 win over the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Doncic stole the show with graceful stepback three-pointers and accurate alley-oop passes. He finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. 

The difference in the game wasn't effort or coaching. It didn't have anything to do with records or the fact that Dallas was riding high after trading for Kristaps Porzigis. Doncic changed everything for the Mavericks. He's the reason they won tonight. Dallas has their star. The Cavaliers are still looking for theirs. Jordan Clarkson led the Cavs with 19 points. Cleveland falls to 11-42 on the season. 

"He's impressive," Larry Nance Jr. said when asked about Doncic. "It's hard to tell how tall he is until you get next to him. He's a problem now and he's going to be problem."

"He's very refined, but I would say more so just poised. You never speed him up. He's got his own thing going on. You can throw whatever defender on him and he's still got his own pace and his own speed. I was thoroughly impressed."

Another Injury – Cedi Osman entered tonight's game averaging 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists over his last games. Instead of building on his recent hot streak, he was bit by the same injury bug that has plagued the Cavaliers all season long. Osman left the game in the second quarter after coming down awkwardly on his right foot following a lay-up. He tried to play on it, but was unable to and was declared out shortly after. Head coach Larry Drew didn't have an update on Osman after the game. He finished with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting. The last thing this team needs is an emerging star like Osman to miss significant time. 

Streak Over – The Cavaliers entered tonight on a two-game winning streak. They hadn't won three-straight all season. That continues after tonight's loss.  

Deadline Looming – The trade deadline is Thursday, which means some of the players you watched tonight will likely be with other teams. Alec Burks and Rodney Hood are two players to watch. They're both playing on expiring contracts, which should lead to interest from contending teams. 

Dirk at The Q – Dirk Nowitzki played tonight. He isn't the same guy you remember, but it was cool to see him on the court. Nowitzki didn't attempt a shot, but he had five rebounds. Nance was excited to get his jersey after the game. 

"If you play against that guy and your not a fan, you're lying," Nance said. "I went back there and told him how big of a fan I was and how incredible it is with the things he's done for basketball worldwide. I think it's just a very cool sign of respect, so this is getting framed immediately."

Dirk Nowitzki’s jumper is still -- pic.twitter.com/gnTRY03aTA

Luka and Dirk getting buckets in warmups pic.twitter.com/oDMPfsTsWs