Dirk Nowitzki's 24 points were not enough to keep the Dallas Mavericks from losing their third straight game as they lost 91-88 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Mavericks had an eight point lead at halftime, but the Cavaliers came out of the halftime a new team and erased that eight point lead in just six minutes, and then continued their scoring spree to take a six point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks did come back in the fourth quarter to make this a compelling game as they tied the game at 70 just two minutes into the fourth quarter. In the end it was rookie Kyrie Irving who secured the game by making a layup with 15 seconds left to put the Cavaliers up 91-88.
Dallas had two opportunities to send the game to overtime, but Jason Terry and Brandan Wright both missed their three-point attempts. This loss gives the Mavericks their third loss in a row and only the second time that they had a three-game losing streak, the other was at the beginning of the season when the Mavericks started 0-3.
Check out Mavs Moneyball for the latest news and notes on the Mavericks while Fear The Sword has you covered for everything you would want to know about the Cavaliers.