NBA Dallas' torrid shooting too much for Cavaliers

Once the Mavs heated up, the Cavs could only watch.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- If there's a legal defense that can stop or slow down the Dallas Mavericks, the Cleveland Cavaliers would love to know what it is.
"They killed whatever we threw at them," Cavs forward Tony Battie said. "It was pick your poison."
Michael Finley scored 23 points, Steve Nash had 20 and 10 assists and Dirk Nowitzki added 18 points as the Mavericks unleashed their offensive fury in a 114-98 win Wednesday night over Cleveland.
The Mavericks made their long shots, short ones and just about everything in between.
Helpless
Once they heated up, there wasn't much for the Cavs to do but watch -- and wish.
"All you can do is hope they miss," rookie LeBron James said, "and they didn't."
Scott Williams scored a season-high 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting in his first start for Dallas since being signed off waivers last month from Phoenix.
Antoine Walker had 11 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks as Dallas bounced back from a disappointing 17-point loss at Memphis on Tuesday night.
"We're not going to shoot poorly every night," Nash said. "When we find the open guy, I'll take our chances. The shots were falling for us again. They usually do."
The Mavericks, who had seven players score in double figures for the second time this season, are 14-4 since Jan. 12.
Cavs coach Paul Silas feared the Mavs' firepower, and they displayed their full inside-and-outside arsenal. The league's second-highest scoring team blew it open in the third quarter, extending a 10-point halftime lead to 18.
"They were on fire," Silas said. "When they're shooting like that, it's tough."
Cleveland entered as the NBA's top rebounding team, but the Mavericks outworked the Cavs underneath and outrebounded them 53-40 -- 18-9 on the offensive end.
Williams' impact
Williams was well-rested after sitting out Tuesday's game with a sprained ankle. But he made the most of a rare start, hitting his first seven shots.
"Sure I knocked down shots, when they forgot about me," Williams said with a laugh.
Williams' best performance since joining the Mavericks came with one of his former Chicago Bulls' teammates, Ron Harper, watching from the front row.
"Harper was chirping in my ear," Williams said. "He messed up my perfect game."
Carlos Boozer had 24 points -- zero in the fourth -- and 14 rebounds for the Cavs, who have lost five of six and face San Antonio on Friday night.
"Don't remind me," Silas said. "But we're not backing away from anybody."
James added 16 points and nine assists -- his most since Jan. 13 -- in 34 minutes, but played just three minutes in the fourth period.
Leading 63-53 at halftime, the Mavericks went to work from the outside in the third period, building a 79-61 lead with mostly perimeter jump shots.
Dallas finally cooled down, but the Cavs couldn't cut into the lead.
"They're tough to guard when they're making everything," Boozer said. "They've got weapons everywhere, and they just made shots."