CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Two of the Cleveland Cavaliers' core four -- JR Smith and Tristan Thompson -- have battled inconsistency all season, forcing the coaching staff to make tough decisions while altering their roles.

But whether it was Tyronn Lue or stand-in coach Larry Drew, the decision was made to stick with the struggling duo, never giving up on them completely, not even when the numbers showed the Cavs might have been better off going a different direction. It would've been easy to keep playing feisty rookie Cedi Osman, as he had certainly earned that extra playing time. Same with burly and improved center Ante Zizic.

But the Cavs never wavered in the belief that both Smith and Thompson are immensely valuable, too much so to the team's long-term goals to rot away on the bench.

"I wouldn't lose confidence in either one of those guys," Drew said Sunday. "I was a player and I went through similar situations so I know players do go through tough spells. As a coach, you just try to get them out of that funk. That's something I've been trying to do with JR and again Tristan dealing with his situation as well. Just as a coach, you just try to find the things that can get those guys going. Get them feeling good about themselves, about what they're doing out on the floor.

"That's something I've tried to do when we watch film. Pick out some things that they're doing really well defensively. Your shots are not always going to fall. But there's other things you can do in the game that can impact the game. I would never lose confidence in either one of those guys. I have the utmost confidence in both guys."

Smith and Thompson are beginning to reward that confidence. On Friday night, Thompson showed signs of regaining his old form, pulling down six offensive rebounds and smothering New Orleans Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis on defense.

Two days later, it was Smith's turn to deliver a vintage performance. A sloppy game through three quarters, Smith was one of the most reliable offensive threats on an evening when the Cavaliers missed countless layups, rattled out open 3-pointers and failed to reach the 100-point mark for just the second time in the last 15 games.

Drew said it "wasn't a typical LeBron James game." Kevin Love called it "ugly."

It was anything but for Smith, who scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. In an odd twist, Smith finished with a team-best plus-minus, outscoring the Mavericks by 16 points in his 26 minutes.

The Cavs needed his energy and his outside shooting. They needed his aggressive mentality, as he continues to attack off the dribble, something he has been doing lately at the urging of assistant coach Phil Handy and with the new-found freedom of playing with the second unit.

Before getting too carried away, it's important to point out the Cavs were playing Dallas, a team that clearly believes losing is its best outcome. The Mavericks' leading scorer, Harrison Barnes, was plastered to the bench for half the fourth quarter, only coming back after the Cavaliers started pulling away with a 13-0 spurt.

It's also hard to definitively predict Smith's performance being the start of a consistent stretch heading into the postseason, especially given his season-long slump. Still, it's clear Drew has made it a point of emphasis to jump-start the flammable Smith.

"I think for any player there's a chance they could go through a rough spell. There's certain things that can happen through the course of a season with a team that can change that individual's role," Drew said. "But I believe that you still have to find ways to try to get that guy going. That's what I tried to do with JR. We know what he's capable of as far as shooting the basketball.

"I just try to put a player in a situation, one, that he's comfortable with and two, that he's familiar with. You try and get guys going. You try to put 'em in a position where they can kind of get started."

Nearly three weeks ago, the Cavs decided to bump Smith out of the starting lineup. That switch has led to a bit of a resurgence for him and the team.

Since then, Cleveland is 9-2 and Smith has reached double figures in five of 11 games while shooting at least 50 percent from long range in eight of those contests.

The former Sixth Man of the Year, who has shown plenty of comfort playing in the second unit during his career, is averaging 8.7 points on 47.9 percent from the field and 48.5 percent from long range since coming off the bench. He also boasts a positive net rating during the stretch -- another change from his overall season numbers, as he ranks third-worst of all players still on the team.

"I'm playing better. I can always play better, but compared to the way I've been playing it just feels better," Smith said on the court following the 98-87 win. "I just got back to saying, 'The hell with it,' and smile. This is the game I fell in love with and sometimes just got to fall back in love with something you already love."