The Cavaliers achieve a commendable victory without their five starters and with a historic triple-double from Tyrese Proctor

The Cleveland Cavaliers starred in one of the most surprising victories of the day in the NBA. Despite facing the Dallas Mavericks without any of their five starters, the team coached by Kenny Atkinson managed to win 127-117 at Rocket Arena, demonstrating that they have enough resources to compete even in the most challenging circumstances.

The standout player of the night was Tyrese Proctor. The young player recorded the first triple-double of his professional career with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, leading a Cavaliers team that had to rely on a completely different lineup than usual.

Cleveland's situation was affected by the travel issues that the team experienced after their previous game. The team had played an NBA Cup game in Miami on Friday, where they lost 133-122 to the Heat. However, issues with air transport forced the Cavaliers to remain in South Florida and return to Cleveland on Saturday morning.

The five starters out of action

The franchise confirmed before the game the absences of Donovan Mitchell due to a bruise on his left knee; James Harden due to discomfort in his left calf; Peyton Watson due to issues with his right hamstrings; and Jarrett Allen due to discomfort in his right knee. All four had participated in the game against Miami.

These absences were joined by Evan Mobley, who missed his second consecutive game due to a sprain in his left big toe, an injury he sustained on Wednesday against the New York Knicks.

The news surprised the fans present at Rocket Arena, who greeted the announcement of the players' absences with loud boos. Nevertheless, the substitutes responded on the court with an extraordinary collective performance.

Mario Hezonja contributed 22 points, Meleek Thomas finished with 20, while Thomas Bryant added 19 and Jaylon Tyson contributed another 18. This offensive distribution allowed Cleveland to maintain control of the game and defeat Dallas without relying on their main stars.

Riley Minix, Norchad Omier, and Craig Porter Jr. were the other players who had minutes during the game.

Kenny Atkinson highlights the team's reaction ability

Cleveland's coach, Kenny Atkinson, acknowledged the special circumstances his team had to face, although he avoided using logistical issues as an excuse.

"You know how the NBA works. We have to deal with different circumstances and, obviously, in this case, it has been like that, but we will go out to compete and make the fans proud of us," he explained before the game.

On Friday, there was widespread disruption to air travel in the United States, affecting thousands of travelers and forcing the Cavaliers to modify their return plans from Florida.

Atkinson also acknowledged that the team was somewhat lucky to find accommodation after the game against Miami and to be able to return to Cleveland early on Saturday.

"It could have been much worse. We were lucky to be able to return to a hotel after the game because Miami was really full. And we were also lucky to be able to get out and arrive here early today," he explained.

Ultimately, the Cavaliers turned a complicated situation into a highly meritorious victory. Without Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, Allen, or Watson, Cleveland found an unexpected leader in Tyrese Proctor and managed to defeat Dallas 127-117 with a collective performance that left one of the great stories of the day.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los Cavaliers logran una victoria de mérito sin sus cinco titulares y con un triple-doble histórico de Tyrese Proctor