The Cavaliers are like a runaway train picking up speed as it zooms down the tracks toward its next destination. Except for the runaway part of that expression. The Cavs are in complete control of what is happening with their basketball team. Coach Kenny Atkinson after the game with the Mavericks on Jan. 3 in Dallas confessed he was a little concerned the Cavs would be sluggish because they were winding up a four-game trip that started Dec. 27 in Denver and continued three time zones away in San Francisco against the Warriors and Los Angeles against the Lakers. Related Articles Cleveland Cavaliers | Cavaliers not getting love they deserve in fan All-Star voting | Jeff Schudel Cleveland Cavaliers | Evan Mobley scores 34 as Cavaliers beat short-handed Mavericks, 134-122, run win streak to nine games Cleveland Cavaliers | Streaking Cavaliers aim for road sweep when they meet Mavericks in Dallas Cleveland Cavaliers | Cavaliers beat Lakers, 122-110, for eighth straight win and spoil LeBron’s first game since turning 40 Cleveland Cavaliers | Guardians playing for AL pennant topped Cleveland pro sports scene in 2024 | Jeff Schudel “Sometimes on the last game of a road trip you see a dip in energy,” Atkinson told reporters in his postgame news conference. Atkinson’s concern was unfounded. The Cavs blitzed the Mavericks, 32-21, in the first quarter and carried that momentum to a 134-122 final for their ninth straight victory. They won all nine games by double digits. The Cavaliers will try to make it 10 straight when they host the Charlotte Hornets at 6 p.m. Jan. 5 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. A duel with the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 8 and one with the Toronto Raptors a night later at the FieldHouse follow. As Atkinson said sometimes a lack of energy can affect a team at the end of a road trip, the same thing can happen to a team playing its first home game after jetting across the country. But the Cavaliers have the NBA’s best record at 30-4. The Hornets are 7-26 and have lost nine straight games. “I’m really impressed with our road mentality,” Atkinson said. “We were ready to play. “It’s a resilient group. It’s a group that’s together. There is such a belief right now. It’s an expectation that you’re supposed to win this game.” The Cavaliers are 17-1 on their home court. The only blemish on their home record is a 135-124 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 27. They lost to the Hawks two nights later in Atlanta, 117-101, and since then have gone 13-1. “It’s so hard to win in this league,” Atkinson said. “There’s so much parity. I do think you catch a wave of confidence and then everything flows. It seems like that’s what we’ve caught. And it’s a collective confidence. It seems like we have 12 or 13 guys that are playing with great confidence at both ends.” Atkinson gave playing time to 13 players in the game with the Mavericks. Seven players finished in double figures. Evan Mobley led the way with 34 points. Hornets at Cavaliers When: 6 p.m, Jan. 5 Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Records: Hornets 7-26, Cavaliers 30-4 TV: FanDuel Sports Ohio