Watch: Mavericks' woes continue vs. Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (10) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Watch: Mavericks' woes continue in humiliating first quarter vs. Cavaliers

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Feb 2, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks cratered in the first game since trading star point guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

On Sunday, the Mavericks faced the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road and looked outmatched.

The Cavaliers had 50 points in the first quarter, the most the franchise has scored in any quarter since the play-by-play era's inception (1997-98). The Mavericks, meanwhile, only scored 19 points.

Cleveland ended up winning 144-101.

50 PTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER FOR THE CAVS

That's the most they've scored in ANY QUARTER in the play-by-play era (1997-98). pic.twitter.com/f8w69gKyng
— NBA (@NBA) February 2, 2025

Dallas acquired center/forward Anthony Davis in the trade with the Lakers to improve its shaky defense. Entering Sunday's game, the Mavericks ranked 16th in the league in points allowed (112.7).

In his first 12 seasons with the Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, Davis was named first-team All-Defense three times. However, the injury-prone star has already missed five games because of calf, foot and abdominal issues.

If Davis fails to get healthy soon, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison could look even more foolish for giving up Doncic. In his first six seasons with Dallas, the 25-year-old made first-team All-NBA five times.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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