• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

James, Cavs crush Mavericks

Mar 11, 2015 - 4:45 AM Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James scored 27 points with eight assists and seven rebounds to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 127-94 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Kyrie Irving supplied 22 points, while J.R. Smith and Kevin Love each tallied 21 points for Cleveland, which has won four of its last five games.

"The best thing about tonight, we played 48 minutes tonight, we shared the ball offensively, we moved the ball, we pushed the ball, we defended, and we played a great game," said James.

Chandler Parsons paced Dallas with 18 points, Monta Ellis had 17 and Amar'e Stoudemire added 15 points off the bench.

The Mavs have lost three of their last four.

"After the first quarter, it was our worst performance of the year, just flat out," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle admitted.

James scored 17 points in the first half, while Irving and Smith each added 16, as the trio combined to shoot 18-for-29 over the first two quarter to give the Cavs a double-digit lead entering halftime.

The first quarter was back-and-forth, with Cleveland opening the game with seven straight points, then Dallas answering with a 10-0 spurt that Parsons capped with the final eight -- including a pair of treys. The Cavs followed with a 9-0 burst to regain a six-point cushion.

Dirk Nowitzki's three-point play later in the first started an 15-5 run to end the quarter for the Mavs and help them to a 31-26 margin after 12 minutes.

The game remained close throughout the second until the 4:20 mark, when Cleveland ended the half on a 19-9 run. Smith and Irving scored the final 11 points of the spurt to put the visitors up 67-53 at the break.

The Cavs stretched their lead to 99-76 entering the fourth and had no trouble closing out the Mavs in the final quarter.

Game Notes

Dallas had won 11 of its last 13 at home to the Cavs ... Cleveland shot 44- of-87 (50.6 percent) from the floor, while the Mavs made 33-of-81 (40.7 percent) ... The Cavs held a 54-44 edge in the paint, and outscored Dallas 25-15 on the fastbreak ... Love and Smith had 14 and eight rebounds, respectively.