Jaden Hardy gave the Mavericks seven points down the stretch of the third, but a dunk by Ty Jerome gave the Cavs a 119-75 lead by the end of the quarter. Dallas was shooting 37.8% from the floor to this point compared to Cleveland's 64.3%.

The Cavaliers ran up the score on the undermanned Mavericks. Cleveland scored 91 points — matching the third most in a first half in NBA history — on Sunday while opening a 45-point lead on Dallas, which was playing its first game since trading superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.