CLEVELAND _ With three of their four games this week against playoff teams, including a possible showdown for third place in the East on Friday at Philadelphia, it was no surprise that the Cavaliers' focus wasn't on point Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Especially playing a 6 p.m. game the day after a Justin Timberlake concert attended by many Cavs.
The Mavericks (23-54) have lost nine of their last 11 and are doing everything possible to improve their draft position. Owner Mark Cuban went on record in February saying, "Losing is our best option," a comment that cost him a $600,000 fine.
That strategy apparently continued Sunday, when Harrison Barnes played only 5 { minutes in the fourth quarter despite scoring 26 through three periods.
With Barnes sitting until 5:47 remained, the Cavs (47-30) found their groove in the final 10 minutes and pulled out a 98-87 victory on Easter Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena.
With the 76ers and Indiana Pacers winning earlier in the day, a loss would have sent the Cavs into fifth place in the East, tied with Indiana at 46-31 but behind the Pacers because of the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Pacers have a 3-1 record against the Cavs this season. Instead, the Cavs hung on to third, one-half game ahead of 76ers (46-30), who won their 10th in a row.
LeBron James recorded his 17th triple-double of the season and 71st of his career with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in 39 minutes. James made two free throws with 7:59 left to extend his record double-digit scoring streak to 868 consecutive games.
With 13 points and 13 rebounds, Kevin Love recorded his 30th double-double of the season, becoming the seventh active player to reach 400 in his career.
Jordan Clarkson added 16 points and J.R. Smith contributed 15 for the Cavs, leading a bench attack that outscored the Mavs 45-23.
Barnes led the Mavericks with 30 points, one off his season-high and four off his career-best.
It was almost as if the Cavs got wind of the conference standings at the third-quarter break. They used a 13-0 run to take a 90-81 lead with 5:48 to go, capped by a James' 3-pointer. That was the first of three consecutive 3s for the Cavs as James added another, followed by Love.
The Cavs' boredom showed in the first half, when they fell behind by nine.
James and Love struggled the most in the first half. While James scored six points with six rebounds and eight assists, he made just 2-of-9 shots. Love scored 10 points, but went 3-for-9 from the field and missed two free throws. Jordan Clarkson also went 1-for-4 from the field in the first 24 minutes after matching his Cavs high with 23 points against the Pelicans on Friday.
The Cavs also committed seven first-half turnovers, which led to nine Mavericks points.
Rodney Hood scored seven points in the final 2:44 of the second quarter to help the Cavs take a 48-47 halftime lead. Hood put in a driving layup off a James feed, hit a 3 from the corner and converted his steal into a fast-break layup as the Cavs went on a 12-4 run. Larry Nance Jr. converted a 3-point play and Cedi Osman made a jumper in the surge, while all the Mavs could muster were two field goals by Dirk Nowitzki.
Nowitzki, 39, played in his 76th game of the season despite being questionable with a left ankle impingement and scored nine points with seven rebounds. He hopes to return next season for the final year of his contract.
The Cavs were without point guard George Hill, who sprained his left ankle Friday against the Pelicans, and guard Kyle Korver, rehabbing a sore right foot. Coach Tyronn Lue, still on a leave of absence to address health issues, attended his second consecutive game as a spectator.
