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Mavericks overtake punchless Cavaliers

Oct 26, 2006 - 2:24 AM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- As LeBron James watched from the bench, his teammates also turned into spectators.

The Cleveland Cavaliers failed to get a decent shot on their final three possessions and dropped an 83-81 preseason decision to the Dallas Mavericks.

With superstar James, who scored 13 points, sitting out the final minutes, Cleveland unraveled offensively and allowed Dallas to crawl past them to the finish line.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 17 points and Devin Harris added 14 for the Mavericks, who weren't exactly models of efficiency in the final 1:47. They scored their last four points from the foul line and missed four of their last six free throws.

The scored was tied at 81-81 when the Cavaliers committed a shot-clock violation. After former Cav DeSagano Diop hit a free throw to put the Mavericks ahead for good, 82-81, Cleveland's Anderson Varejao threw up an airball.

On Cleveland's next trip, first-round pick Shannon Brown dribbled off his leg and out of bounds with 29 seconds left. The Cavaliers never got the ball back.

Drew Gooden scored 10 points for Cleveland, which wrapped up its preseason schedule. Jerry Stackhouse finished with 12 points for Dallas, which winds up its exhibition season Friday at San Antonio.