On Monday night, the NBA preseason – as far as both the Cavaliers and Mavericks are concerned – came to a merciful end. But the Wine and Gold used the third quarter as somewhat of a dress rehearsal, and the results were promising.
The Cavaliers went back to their non-roster guys in the fourth and eventually held on for their first victory of the exhibition campaign – a 103-97 win over Dallas at The Q.
After mixing and matching in the first half, Coach Blatt went predominantly with his regulars in the third. J.R. Smith responded by netting 13 of his team-high 19 points in the period, transforming a seven-point Mavericks halftime edge into a six-point Cleveland lead.