Cavs fall 2 games off pace

Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash led Dallas to a 126-109rout of Cleveland.
DALLAS (AP) -- Two games into a new-look lineup featuring a 6-foot-9 center, all the Dallas Mavericks know is that they have enough offensive powerhouses to outscore some lowly Eastern Conference teams.
Yet they sure seem to be having fun in returning to the small ball approach that helped them reach the Western Conference finals last season.
Dirk Nowitzki had 35 points and a season-high 18 rebounds and Steve Nash added a season-high 31 points and 10 assists, leading Dallas past the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-109 Tuesday night in the Mavs' second game of their hoped-for revival.
"I think it's important to play loose," Nash said. "That's what we are."
Smaller lineup
Coach Don Nelson switched to a starting five featuring Antoine Walker at center after his club lost three straight to fall into a 6-8 rut. The last loss was followed by Nowitzki lashing out about the team's problems, much of which centered on defense.
The return to an offensive-minded approach -- which makes sense considering Dallas is the league's highest-scoring team -- started Sunday with a 30-point victory over Orlando. Tuesday's victory clinched a playoff berth and moved the Mavs within two games of Memphis for the fifth seed in the West.
Next up is Sacramento on Thursday night, which should provide a better test for the new scheme.
"Everyone talks about our defense, but we're not a defensive team," Nash said. "We've got to remember who we are. We're an offensive team."
Nowitzki likes the new-old approach.
"We won a lot of games at the end of last year with our small lineup," Nowitzki said. "There are not many teams that can match up with us when we go small."
The Cavaliers did for most of the game, getting at least 23 points from four players. Yet the rest of the squad scored a total of nine, much of that in garbage time.
James leads Cavs
LeBron James led the way with 28 points, six assists and five rebounds, and had his usual assortment of breathtaking plays.
He flew over Michael Finley for a backboard-rattling dunk less than two minutes into the game, threw down an even more powerful dunk on a breakaway and made highlight reel moves for baskets against Nowitzki and Nash.
Cleveland still lost its second straight and sixth in seven games. The 42nd loss of the season also clinched a losing record for the Cavs, dropping them two games behind Boston for the final playoff spot in the East.
Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 20 rebounds, Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 26 and Lee Nailon added 23.