CLEVELAND — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points and Josh Richardson had 20, allowing the playoff-bound Dallas Mavericks to overcome the ejection of Luka Doncic in a 124-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

Doncic received a flagrant-two foul — an automatic ejection — early in the third quarter for hitting Collin Sexton with “an aggressive strike to the groin area,” according to lead official David Guthrie. It occurred while jostling for position under the Cleveland basket.

Dallas extended its lead to a game over Portland in the battle for fifth place in the Western Conference. The Lakers entered the night two games behind the Mavericks in seventh, which would make them the top seed in the play-in tournament.

Doncic finished with 15 points in 22 minutes.

Sexton scored 24 points for the Cavaliers, They lost their 10th straight game — matching their longest skid of the season — and have not won since April 21 against Chicago. Kevin Love added eight points and 11 rebounds, and Mfiondu Kabengele had 14 points.

Fan favorite Anderson Varejao was Cleveland’s first player off the bench and had five points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes. The Cavaliers, who have dropped five straight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, lost to Dallas for the second time in three days.