The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 134-122 on Friday night to lose a fourth consecutive game, dropping the team to just 20-15 on the season and sixth in the Western Conference standings.
Dallas was led in this matchup by guard Quentin Grimes and forward Klay Thompson, who combined to score 42 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Despite opening the game well and taking a 21-17 lead in the first quarter, the Mavericks quickly began to trail as the Cavalier got hot from behind the three-point line and took a commanding 69-53 lead at halftime.
Cleveland extended its lead to 27 points during the third quarter to take full control of the game. The Mavericks made multiple runs to cut the lead but never came within 10 points for the remainder of the game.
Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd said after the game that the team “got off to a good start” and that he is proud that they continued to fight. He added that the team should improve with the return of forward Naji Marshall in the coming days, per The Mavericks.
Dallas has lost four straight games and five of the last six games since forward Luka Doncic suffered an injury on Christmas day that is expected to keep him out for at least one month.
The Mavericks opened the season with an impressive record of 6-2 in games this season in which Doncic was unable to play, but that record has fallen significantly to just 7-6 due to the four-game losing streak.
Grimes said after the game that this losing streak has been “tough” for the team because everyone understands how well they can compete when fully healthy.
“We know how good we are at full strength. We just got to hold it down however long Luka’s out or Kai’s out. We get Naji back, so that will be a big help. We just got to come together everytime on the court,” he said, per The Mavericks.
Dallas is now just half a game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers for the seventh seed in the Western Conference standings, meaning another loss could force the team to participate in the play-in tournament before the playoffs.
Although the Mavericks’ ability to compete will improve in the coming weeks with the eventual return of Marshall and guard Kyrie Irving, Dallas will also face multiple difficult matchups during that timeframe.
The Mavericks’ next 10 games will feature eight teams firmly in the mix for a playoff spot, including multiple games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
While the Mavericks are expected to play tough games without multiple key players, the team will look to get back to winning with a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, January 6, at 7 p.m.