Mo Williams made 7 of 7 3-point attempts, LeBron James scored 25 points with 12 assists and the Cleveland Cavaliers rebounded from a lackluster loss in Charlotte by beating the road-tested Dallas Mavericks 111-95 on Saturday night.
Williams finished with 25 points and Anderson Varejao scored 15 _ 13 in the second half _ for the Cavs, who were beaten 94-87 by the Bobcats on Friday in center Shaquille O'Neal's return after missing six games with a shoulder injury. Cleveland also got a huge boost from troubled guard Delonte West.
West, who played just over two minutes on Friday and has been ineffective recently while dealing with personal and health issues, added 10 points and 10 rebounds in a season-high 29 minutes.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 and Jason Terry 25 for Dallas, which was denied its sixth straight road win.
O'Neal was back in the Cavs' lineup on Friday, but Shaq's comeback only bogged down Cleveland's offense, which was out of sync and struggled while trying to incorporate him back into the flow. O'Neal scored only 9 points in 25 minutes but his presence alone bothered the undersized Mavericks.
Cleveland ran many of its offensive sets through O'Neal, who drew double-teams and kicked the ball to the perimeter. The Cavs' ball movement was crisp and they knocked down their 3s, making 9 of 13 attempts one night after going just 6 of 21 from long range.
Williams was 2 of 8 on 3s in Charlotte, but back on his home floor, Cleveland's guard barely rippled the nets while bombarding the Mavericks.
Williams hit five 3s in the first half, when the Cavaliers' offense ran as smoothly as it has at any point this season _ by far. Cleveland was 7-for-8 from long range, shot 68 percent from the field, posted a season-high for points (68) in a half and handed out 23 assists _ 9 more than the Cavaliers had in 48 minutes on Friday _ on 26 baskets.
But despite the offensive efficiency, the Cavs didn't put the Mavericks away until late in the fourth quarter. Leading by 11, James scored on an alley-oop off an inbound pass, Williams hit a jumper and James scored on a drive as Cleveland opened a 106-88 lead with 4:08 left.
About the only thing missing for Cleveland was center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He didn't play and remains tied with Cavs general manager Danny Ferry (724) for the most games played in team history.
With Erick Dampier missing his eighth straight game with an undisclosed illness, the Mavericks did not have a true center to match up with O'Neal, and the Cavaliers exploited Dallas' deficiency inside. They pounded the ball in to O'Neal, who was guarded by 6-foot-10 Drew Gooden, repeatedly in the first half.
James fed the big man for Cleveland's first basket and then hit a charging O'Neal in the lane for a dunk that none of the Mavericks dared contest. O'Neal returned the favor to James moments later with a sweet bounce bass that the MVP slammed home.
James had eight assists in the first quarter, helping the Cavs open a 35-26 lead after one.
NOTES: James or Kobe Bryant? Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle wouldn't want to make the choice. "I might flip a coin," he said. "They're both great. Right now in this league they're the best of the best. They both not only are great players, they both have great charisma and they both represent out league extremely well. I'd gladly take a blindfold and pick a name and I'd be happy." ... Dallas has lost four straight to Cleveland. ... Varejao was 7-of-7 from the floor.
