Dribbles: Cavs sit their stars, find plenty of fight in stunning win over Mavericks

November 14, 2026

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ stunner of a 127-117 home win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

1. Well, that was something. No Donovan Mitchell. No James Harden. No Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen or Peyton Watson. The Cavs sat their entire usual starting lineup, then went out and played one of their most enjoyable games of the season. Try figuring out this team.

Tyrese Proctor, NBA, Cavaliers, Cavs, NBA — Imagn

2. I figured the Cavs would need just about everything to go right to have a chance. Instead, they took control early, built an 18-point halftime lead and made Dallas spend the night trying to catch them. This was a team playing with some purpose. Some confidence, too.

3. Kenny Atkinson summed it up afterward. “That’s a special win.” Considering the missing players, the overnight stay in Miami and the flight home on game day, I’d say that’s a pretty fair description.

4. Start with Tyrese Proctor. Twenty-four points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. A triple-double on a night when the Cavs handed him the offense and needed him to do a little of everything. Turns out, he was up for it.

5. Proctor scored 22 off the bench in Miami on Friday. Then he came home and did this. That’s quite a back-to-back for a young guard trying to establish himself. He’s giving Atkinson plenty to think about when everyone is available again.

6. What I liked about Proctor’s line was how much of the game it covered. The scoring was needed, obviously. But 11 rebounds from your point guard? Ten assists while working with a completely different starting group? He helped the Cavs in just about every way they needed help.

7. Proctor, Meleek Thomas and Jaylon Tyson have taken to calling themselves “the pitbulls.” They combined for 41 first-half points, and their activity helped establish how this game was going to be played. The nickname will work just fine if they keep backing it up like that.

8. The Cavs started those three alongside Mario Hezonja and Thomas Bryant. Probably not a lineup many people had circled when the schedule came out. But the group played well together, and the two veterans gave the younger guys considerable help.

9. Hezonja scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. That’s an awfully efficient night when you’re asking someone to take on a bigger offensive role. He gave the Cavs another dependable scoring option while Dallas was trying to figure out what to do with the guards.

10. Bryant added 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. With Mobley and Allen unavailable, the Cavs needed him to hold up inside and contribute offensively. He did his part. Between Bryant and Hezonja, that’s 41 points on 16-of-24 shooting. It was like hiring two contractors to build a shed and walking away with a mansion.

11. We also need to mention Norchad Omier. Thirteen points and eight rebounds, with the kind of effort that helps you win a game like this. Two-way players don’t always get much opportunity. Omier got one and made himself useful in a hurry.

12. The Cavs won the rebounding battle 54-40. Think about that for a second. No Mobley. No Allen. Still a 14-rebound advantage. Everybody had to contribute, and enough guys did.

13. Naturally, Atkinson was asked whether the energy and effort could serve as a message to the veterans watching from the bench. “That’s a good question. When you go in (the postgame locker room) you can ask them,” he said. “I think they see it; it’s kind of self-explanatory.”

14. I wouldn’t turn one win into a referendum on the starters. The Cavs need those guys to get anywhere meaningful. But there was something here worth carrying forward. This group played hard, shared the responsibility and gave itself a chance from the opening minutes. Those things should travel across lineups.

15. Kyrie Irving scored 34 points for the Mavericks and received a warm reception during introductions. The Cavs also showed his Game 7 shot against the Warriors. That will always get a reaction in this building. Whatever has happened since, that shot belongs to Cavs history forever.

16. Before the game, so much of the conversation involved who wasn’t playing. By the end, the crowd had plenty of reason to applaud the guys who were. If you came hoping to see the stars, you at least went home having watched a pretty memorable Cavs win.

17. There was encouraging news on Mobley, too. Atkinson said the toe injury isn’t expected to keep him out long. “It’s a sprain, it’s not anything long-term,” he said. “He looks better already. He’s not on the court yet, but this isn’t a month or something like that.”

18. The Cavs are back to .500 at 7-7, with the Bulls coming to town Monday. They’ve already given us plenty to question this season. On Saturday, the guys who usually wait their turn gave us plenty to appreciate.

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