NBA: Dallas completes revenge game to get back at Cleveland

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Dallas Mavericks proved that the second time is a charm after getting the better of the Cleveland Cavaliers during their rematch, 130-120, in the ongoing NBA regular season on March 16, 2026.

Three days after receiving a 33-point embarrassment from the Cavaliers, Dallas was quick to move on from the forgettable past and stayed locked in in front of a raucous 19,432 fans who flocked to Rocket Arena.

Despite playing in uncharted territory, the Mavericks didn’t care about anything except winning as they quickly pounced on Cleveland on the road, spearheaded by the three-headed monster of Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall and PJ Washington.

The trio’s efficient offensive performance helped Dallas take the early lead, which the Cavaliers eventually trimmed by the end of the first half.

Just when Cleveland thought that a repeat of the previous encounter would take place in the second half, Dallas head coach Jason Kidd deployed some crucial adjustments that helped the Mavericks remain calm and consistent on both ends of the floor.

Kidd ran more pick-and-pop plays for Washington, who stayed hot beyond the arc, while also using Flagg more as a decoy in the pin-down elbow screens.

Instead of Flagg flaring to the baseline, it was the Rookie of the Year candidate who set the screens, which is why Marshall piled up tons of points off back cuts and drop-pass opportunities.

Dallas’ calculated offensive execution was too much for Cleveland to handle. As a result of the scoring mayhem, the Mavericks were able to establish their biggest lead of the game at 20 points while limiting the Cavaliers to their lowest-scoring quarter in the third.

Cleveland leaned on Donovan Mitchell’s early scoring explosion that trimmed its deficit to 13 points, but after Flagg and Washington were reinserted into the game, Dallas once again rolled offensively.

Flagg led all scorers and delivered an all-around performance of 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, alongside 10 assists, six rebounds and two blocks.

The 1-2 punch of Marshall and Washington added 25 and 20 markers, respectively, while spitfire guard Brandon Williams led the bench mob with 12 points, five dimes and two steals.

On the other hand, Mitchell tried what he could to help Cleveland avoid disaster with 26 points, but his backcourt mate, James Harden, had a cold shooting day, chipping in only 13 points in 37 minutes for the Cavaliers.

The Mavericks will look to sustain their momentum and gun for a second straight win today against the New Orleans Pelicans, while Cleveland aims to bounce back on March 18, 2026, against the Milwaukee Bucks.