Dallas Mavericks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game Preview

For the second time in three days, Dallas and Cleveland will be doing battle. This time, it will happen at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, the home of the Cavaliers and one of the best starting lineup video intros in the league. The Mavs are in need of another win as they try and hold off both Portland and the Lakers to finish as the #5 seed in the West.

While Luka Doncic has continued to take strides in his third NBA season, it’s pretty clear that the team has got a lot of problems. They lack consistent scoring outside of him, and Kristaps Porzingis has had even more health issues than a season ago. They will probably have him for the playoffs, but the time to build chemistry and get the camaraderie going has passed, with just one week left.

The Cavs have done a lot of losing, including dropping eight in a row overall. Darius Garland will likely be held out again with an ankle injury, so the dynamic backcourt will again be separated. This was, without a doubt, a season that had some highs. But they would like it to just be over and done with. At least they have Anderson Varejao around now. That’s kind of cool.

Spread: The spread for Sunday night is set at DAL -11.

Mavs Looking for Key Road Win

Nobody would be shocked to see the Mavs win this one. But it’s an important game for them, and if they took a loss, it would be a shocker. Portland took care of business against the Spurs on Saturday, while the Lakers have a date with the Suns to close out the NBA’s Sunday slate. So, the Mavericks could possibly get a W and then enjoy a late-night Phoenix victory for their benefit.

Doncic will not win MVP regardless of what happens, but he is likely a finalist for the second year in a row. Few players have ever posted numbers like him over their first three years in the league, and it’s clear that as long as he can stay healthy, his future is as bright as the Valley. The man can score at will and drop dimes to everybody.

Look for Luka to carry his team in this one.

Cavs Look to Snap Skid

Injuries have limited the Cavs options as to who they can play these days. So, many of the same names have all been logging major minutes and getting added opportunities. It really is too bad that Lamar Stevens has lost this golden chance to get big playing time due to a concussion suffered two weeks back.

The big thing for the Cavs is to try and find some positives and solace to take away from the final week of the year. Because the past few weeks have been filled with media drama and trying to hypothetically break up their core because the team writers think they should.

Let’s see if the Wine and Golders can finally secure a win.