Cavaliers 99, Mavericks 98
CLEVELAND -- Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and came up with a key steal in the final seconds to preserve the Cleveland Cavaliers' 99-98 victory Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Cavs played without star forward LeBron James, who was rested.
Irving threw the ball away when the Mavericks double-teamed him with 16 seconds left and the Cavs ahead 97-95. He regained possession when he hooked Dirk Nowitzki and wiggled in front of him for a steal.
Nowitzki was forced to foul, and Irving converted both free throws. The Mavericks' Deron Williams banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it didn't matter.
Kevin Love had 23 points and 18 rebounds, and Channing Frye scored 14 points off the bench to give the Cavs their first victory in a game James sat out this season. They were blown out in the previous two instances and nearly blew a 20-point lead Wednesday before surviving.
J.R. Smith added 13 points for Cleveland (48-19).
Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points for the Mavericks, who never led in the game. David Lee added 20 points off the bench, and J.J. Barea scored nine of his 17 in the fourth quarter. Chandler Parsons contributed six points and a game-high 10 assists.
Dallas (34-34) lost for the sixth time in the past seven games.
NOTES: Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle called rookie Justin Anderson the most improved player since the beginning of the season. "I like where he is," Carlisle said. "He's by far the most improved guy on our team, just from the beginning of the season to now. He's got a long way to go, but he's a worker." ... The Mavericks' run of good fortune continued Wednesday. They have now faced the Warriors without G Steph Curry, the Lakers without G Kobe Bryant and the Cavaliers without F LeBron James. ... Cleveland G Mo Williams has appeared in one game over the last month and totaled just four minutes while dealing with a knee injury. The team is expected to have an update on him in the coming days. ... The Cavs trailed by 27 at the Miami Heat and by 30 at the Washington Wizards in the two other games James missed. Both were ultimately lopsided losses.