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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Zydrunas Ilgauskas busted out of the foot casts
a long time ago, and now "Z" is shaking off the rust.
|  | | Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas, right, is congratulated by teammate Robert Traylor after his 11 fourth-quarter points lifted the Cavaliers past Dallas.
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Ilgauskas took over in the final minutes, scoring 11 points in
the fourth quarter and blocking Steve Nash's late layup Tuesday
night as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth in a row, 92-87
over the Dallas Mavericks.
Ilgauskas, the Cavs' 7-foot-3 center who missed most of the past
two seasons with foot injuries, had 24 points and 12 rebounds. He
scored nine points in the final 4:18 as the Cavs rallied from a
10-point deficit in the fourth.
"Z was terrific tonight," said Cavs forward Chris Gatling.
"He had it going on, and when the big man is playing like that,
things are a lot easier for everyone. He was Z-riffic"."
Andre Miller added a season-high 22 points and Clarence
Weatherspoon had 16 rebounds for Cleveland, which outrebounded
Dallas 59-29 and became the first Eastern Conference team to beat
the Mavericks this season.
Nash had 21 points, but had his layup with 31 seconds remaining was rejected by Ilgauskas.
"That was fun, to watch Zydrunas play the way he played," said
Cavs coach Randy Wittman, who didn't have 'Z' at all last season.
"He was aggressive. They tried to double-team him, but he wouldn't
let them."
Michael Finley had 15 points and Hubert Davis 12, including nine
in the fourth, for the Mavericks, who came in 6-0 against the East.
"They're a very good team," said Mavs interim coach Del
Harris. "They play good defense and they're very organized. I
think they're for real."
Many were beginning to wonder if Ilgauskas was real.
After a solid rookie year, he played in just five games in
1998-99 before breaking his left foot. He missed all of last season
following surgery to repair the foot. In '96, he had screws put in
his right foot.
But Z is back, and he's better than OK.
"I think anybody in the league knows that he's one of the top
four big men," Harris said.
Cleveland trailed 81-76 with 4:18 left when Ilgauskas was fouled
while dunking over 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley. After completing the
three-point play, Ilgauskas then scored underneath on a nice feed
from Lamond Murray.
On the Cavs' next possession, Ilgauskas ran down his own miss
and dropped a short baseline jumper to bring Cleveland to 81-80.
Nash banked in a runner from the left side as the Mavericks
clung to an 85-84 lead with 1:35 left. But Ilgauskas muscled inside
for another dunk with 49 seconds to go and then stuffed Nash's
attempt.
Ilgauskas admits he's still got some work to do.
"Not every game, but every couple weeks, I can feel progress,"
Ilgauskas said. "I feel better with more playing time."
Nash's basket with 11.9 seconds left brought Dallas to
89-87, but the Cavs sealed it with three free throws.
Davis' second 3-pointer of the fourth capped an 18-6 run to open
the period and gave the Mavericks an 81-71 lead with 5:32 left.
But Ilgauskas scored seven consecutive points and Matt Harpring hit
two free throws to finish off an 11-0 spurt that put Cleveland
ahead 82-81.
Tempers flared late in the third when Ilgauskas got tangled in
Finley's legs while both chased a loose ball. Finley kicked his leg
trying to get away from Ilgauskas, who was sprawled on the floor.
Both players were hit with technicals.
The Cavs tied an arena record with 31 rebounds in the first half
and Cleveland had more offensive boards -- 14 -- than Dallas' total
of 13. But Nash made three of Dallas' six 3-pointers as the
Mavericks took a 49-46 lead at intermission.
Game notes
Bradley fouled out with 2:32 left. He picked up all six
fouls after halftime, but had five blocks. ... Cavs general manager Jim Paxson
said that point guard Brevin Knight, placed on the injured list
Tuesday with soreness in his right knee, will not need more
surgery. Knight has missed 18 games this season after undergoing
surgery Aug. 17. Paxson said Knight might have tried to come back
too fast. ... Former television star Barry Williams, aka Greg Brady in "The
Brady Bunch", sang the national anthem.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Cleveland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 104
Indiana 90
Cleveland 92
Dallas 87
New Jersey 116
Minnesota 94
Atlanta 107
Sacramento 99
Miami 96
Denver 85
Seattle 97
Orlando 92
Portland 101
Golden State 93
Milwaukee 109
LA Lakers 105
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