National Basketball Association
Cleveland 113, Dallas 110
When: 8:30 PM ET, Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Officials: #61 Courtney Kirkland, #35 Jason Goldenberg, #40 Leon Wood
Attendance: 20377

Jarrett Allen scored 24 points and grabbed 23 rebounds, Caris LeVert came off the bench to score 29 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from down 20 points to beat the host Dallas Mavericks 113-110 on Wednesday.

LeVert shot 6-for-11 from 3-point range to pace Cleveland to a 17-for-43 (39.5 percent) night from beyond the arc as a team. Georges Niang, who also came off the bench, shot 4-for-8 from deep en route to 16 points.

Niang connected on a corner 3-pointer with 6:51 remaining in regulation, the opening salvo of a 20-4 Cavaliers run. Cleveland flipped a 10-point deficit into a six-point advantage over the pivotal stretch that spanned more than five minutes.

Luka Doncic, who posted his third consecutive game of at least 39 points, scored the last of his game-high 39 with a step-back 3-pointer that cut Cleveland's lead in half with 17.1 seconds remaining.

Niang missed a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession, giving Dallas one last opportunity. Max Strus blocked Seth Curry's would-be game-tying attempt as time expired to preserve the Cavaliers' win.

Isaac Okoro scored 22 points for Cleveland, shooting 4-for-7 from 3-point range and 7-for-13 from the floor overall. He helped fill the scoring void with Cleveland playing sans Donovan Mitchell (illness) and Darius Garland (jaw).

LeVert and Craig Porter Jr. each dished seven assists for the Cavaliers. Allen and Strus both passed for six assists.

Allen's 23 rebounds marked a season high and were one off matching his career best. Allen produced the seventh 20-point, 20-rebound game in the NBA season, all by seven different players.

Doncic scored 20 points of his game-high total less than 10 minutes into the contest. He shot 8-for-13 from the floor in the first quarter, but went just 6-for-16 the rest of the way.

Doncic's torrid start, coming on the heels of a 50-point performance on Christmas Day at Phoenix, gave Dallas a lead of as many as 20 points in the second quarter.

Curry shot 6-for-11 from the floor, including 5-for-9 from 3-point range, to finish with 19 points off the Mavericks' bench. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points, Dante Exum scored 13 points and dished six assists and Derrick Jones Jr. finished with 12 points.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Cleveland   Dallas
Caris LeVert 29 Scoring Luka Doncic 39
Caris LeVert 7 Assists Luka Doncic 6
Jarrett Allen 23 Rebounds Luka Doncic 7
Jarrett Allen 6 Free Throws Made Luka Doncic 8
Craig Porter Jr. 3 Steals Dante Exum 3
Georges Niang 1 Blocks Derrick Jones Jr. 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Cleveland 113 43.5 17-43 16-23 33 57 4 7 16
Dallas 110 44.3 10-37 22-26 21 37 7 12 10
Upcoming Games
  • Dallas will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Mavericks have a W/L % of .526 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .529 after a win and .643 after a loss.