Max Strus has positive return, but Cavs suffer embarrassing loss to Mavericks

CLEVELAND — Max Strus told himself he didn't want to get choked up after his first game since last May. It happened anyway. Strus had 24 points and eight rebounds in his season debut Sunday. However, his outstanding game was tarnished by the Cavaliers' 130-120 loss to the lowly Dallas Mavericks at Rocket Arena. Strus suffered a Jones fracture of his left foot in August. After having surgery, the original prognosis for his return was three to four months. Unfortunately, it turned into seven months. "I worked my (butt) off," he said. "It was a long road. I only know one way to work. You learn a lot about yourself when something is taken away from you. "I had a good night, but it doesn't matter. It was a bad loss for us." Was it ever. The Mavericks came into Sunday's game 23 games under .500. Dallas (23-45) was smashed by Cleveland on Friday, 138-105. Yet, the Mavs came to town and embarrassed the Cavs. Coach Kenny Atkinson was miffed by his team's defensive effort. "We were too permissive on the defensive end," he said. "It starts with the first unit. They never felt us. They got comfortable and confident. It was an inexcusable defensive effort. We had way too many mental breakdowns." Dallas shot .529 from the field and .500 from the 3-point line. Cleveland (41-27) turned the ball over 16 times, six by veteran point guard James Harden. "Live ball turnovers are death," Atkinson said, explaining that they'll likely result in layups at the other end. "They were beating us off the dribble," he said. "Their speed got to us. We were playing man-to-man, but it looked like zone because we never touched them." Dallas' 19-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg led all scorers with 27 points, six rebounds, 10 assists and two blocked shots. He shot 10-of-17 from the field. However, he wasn't the only thorn in Cleveland's side. Center P.J. Washington added 20 points, 11 rebounds and five steals, while forward Naji Marshall contributed 25 points and seven assists. Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell had a team-high 26 points, a game-high 11 assists and two steals, while center Evan Mobley added 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Harden had perhaps his worst game since coming to the Cavs with 13 points and seven assists. Forward Dean Wade added 12 points and five rebounds and center Thomas Bryant contributed 10 points. Strus entered the game with 4:53 remaining in the first quarter and the sellout crowd showed its appreciation. He immediately buried a long-range shot from the top of the key. He finished 7-of-9 from the field, 6-of-7 from the 3-point line in 23 minutes. "It was a pretty amazing performance," Atkinson said. "It was a great moment when he came in." Strus said he's turned over a new leaf in his life and wants to be more positive. "I'm grateful to be healthy," he said. "I didn't expect to be out that long. I can't control how my body heals. If I could, I would have been back around Christmas. I could have chalked it up and said I'd come back next year. I'm glad to be back and want to make a good playoff push." Strus hadn't appeared in live action since Game 6 of the Cleveland-Indiana playoff series May 15, 2025. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.