Pro Sports

Cavs defeat Mavs 103-97 to avoid winless preseason

Posted October 19, 2015 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Dallas Mavericks' Salah Mejri, right, from Tunisia, dunks the ball over Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love in the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) The Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) - J.R. Smith scored 19 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided a winless preseason with a 103-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.

The Cavaliers, who have had several key players sidelined by injuries in training camp, end the exhibition season with a 1-6 record.

Kevin Love, playing his second preseason game after dislocating his left shoulder in last season's playoffs, scored 10 points with four rebounds in 23 minutes.

MAVERICKS: John Jenkins scored 26 points, but Dallas fell to 0-5. ... Dirk Nowitzki, also playing in his second preseason game, scored 13 points and had four rebounds in 23 minutes.

CAVALIERS: Matthew Dellavedova scored 13 points. ... Love scored six points in 13 minutes Sunday against Toronto.

STAR WATCH: Cavaliers coach David Blatt said LeBron James "absolutely" will be ready for the season opener. James, who got an anti-inflammatory shot in his back last week, didn't play in the final four preseason games.

QUOTABLE: Asked before the game about two winless teams playing each other, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said, "We haven't won a game and we'd like to win a game. Cleveland hasn't won a game. I'm sure they'd like to win one, too. As preseason games go, it's somewhat interesting."

UP NEXT: Dallas hosts Phoenix on Wednesday. Cleveland doesn't play again until the season opener at Chicago on Oct. 27.

Cleveland Cavaliers' J.R. Smith, right, passes the ball around Dallas Mavericks' John Jenkins in the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) The Associated Press

Cleveland Cavaliers' Timofey Mozgov, left, from Russia, drives past Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, from Germany, in the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) The Associated Press

Cleveland Cavaliers' Matthew Dellavedova, left, from Australia, passes the ball around Dallas Mavericks' Raymond Felton in the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) The Associated Press

Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love dunks the ball in the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Basketball Content Providers NBA Pro Sports Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.