The Dallas Mavericks were in Miami, Florida, to take on the Miami Heat in a non-conference game on Sunday, November 24. The Mavericks had a four-game winning streak in hand, while the Heat looked to string together two wins in a row. The Heat previously defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-89, on Monday, November 18.
The Mavericks fell to the Heat 123-118 in overtime at the Kaseya Center. Dallas fell to 9-8, while Miami improved to 7-7. Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 27 points, five rebounds, and six assists. PJ Washington followed up with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Naji Marshall added 20 points and five rebounds. Klay Thompson had 15 points, six rebounds, and one assist. Dereck Lively II scored 14 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists.
Dallas Mavericks-Miami Heat Recap
The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat game was action-packed from start to finish. The Mavericks ruled out Luka Doncic, Dante Exum, and Brandon Williams, but listed Daniel Gafford as available. The Heat listed Terry Rozier, Josh Christopher, and Dru Smith as out, but made Jimmy Butler, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Nikola Jovic available.
The Mavericks’ starting lineup was tweaked, featuring Kyrie Irving, Quentin Grimes, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, and Dereck Lively II. The benching of Marshall for Thompson raised some eyebrows, as Marshall, also known as “The Knife,” showed out on Friday, November 22, as the team’s leading scorer with 26 points, one rebound, and one assist after Head Coach Jason Kidd called for him and Jaden Hardy to help “pick up the slack.”
The first quarter was a high-scoring affair between the Heat and the Mavericks. The Mavericks saw buckets from Klay Thompson and three-pointers from Kyrie Irving. The Heat’s ball movement was plentiful, and Bam Adebayo eventually ended the team’s ball movement with a triple. But the Heat came out on top with a 33-28 lead at the end of the first.
The second quarter saw an early 5-0 run from the Heat. The Mavericks tied the game at 39 apiece at the 7:20 mark. Kyrie Irving’s fadeaway, a jump shot where a shooter jumps backward and away from the basket, was a highlight reel moment. Jimmy Butler’s celly, a short celebratory display after a scoring play, amused the home crowd after his and-1, a basket plus a free throw. The Heat took a 56-51 lead to the locker room at halftime.
Second Half Action
The third quarter opened with a sluggish start, but the Heat and Mavericks gradually battled it out on the court. Dereck Lively II denied Bam Adebayo’s potential rim shot. Pelle Larsson cashed in with a transition bucket to help the Heat’s cause. Haywood Highsmith left the game feeling unwell and was questionable to return. The Heat led 89-84 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter was rather unexpected, as Kyrie Irving buried a three-pointer and proceeded to make it rain with three-pointers. Irving also had an and-1. The Mavericks were on the attack for most of the fourth, as the Heat picked up the pace in scoring in the final minutes. But the Mavericks couldn’t fend off the Heat, and both teams went to overtime after a 114-114 tie in regulation.
The five-minute overtime period was in favor of the Heat, who outscored the Mavericks in the five extra minutes. The Heat entered Sunday’s game looking for a two-game winning streak, and that they achieved with a 123-118 win in overtime. The Heat will host the Milwaukee Bucks in the third game of the NBA Cup’s Group Stage on Tuesday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Game Highlights
The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat’s game featured several highlights, such as the Mavericks reportedly being advised against pairing John Collins with Luka Doncic. Collins plays for the Utah Jazz as a power forward. Collins’ name has been on the free-agent market, but his efficiency and ability to stretch the floor might not resonate with the Mavericks, whose roster structure wouldn’t make sense for him.
For the Dallas Mavericks, Klay Thompson’s three-pointers in the third quarter were one of the many highlight reel moments. Thompson was benched in the Mavericks’ away game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, November 22. The Mavericks held on to beat the Nuggets 123-120, and Thompson’s stat line consisted of four rebounds and four assists.
For the Miami Heat, Tyler Herro has been producing at a historic pace so far this season. Herro’s career-best play has arguably been the biggest bright spot for a subpar Heat team. Herro has been playing for the Heat as a point guard since 2018. The Heat selected the Kentucky alum with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft.
Final Thoughts
The Dallas Mavericks blew a 24-point lead, then rallied in the final three minutes to defeat the Denver Nuggets 123-120 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,923 at Ball Arena on Friday. Naji Marshall scored a career-high 26 points, as the Mavericks won their fourth straight game. Marshall was one of the Mavericks’ scorers with 10 or more points.
After the Nuggets vs. Mavericks game, Kyrie Irving made sure Luka Doncic didn’t feel excluded from the game as he sat at home in Dallas, Texas, recovering. Irving said in his postgame interview on Sportscenter, “We miss you, hermano … Hopefully, at home, you’re happy, man. This is definitely one for him…” Doncic has had a sluggish start to the 2024-25 NBA season, but had his most efficient game, the same game that hurt his right wrist, this season against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
Mavericks Guard Spencer Dinwiddie was reportedly abuzz about all the buzz surrounding his alma mater, the University of Colorado Buffaloes. The Buffaloes were ranked No. 16 in the country with an 8-2 record, as of Friday, November 22. The buzz took on more life when JuJu Lewis, the No. 2 high school recruit in the nation, announced the plan to sign with Colorado to play for Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.
The Mavericks will head to Atlanta, Georgia, to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. The Hawks will look to snap a two-game losing skid after a dreary three-game road trip. The Hawks previously lost to the Chicago Bulls, 136-122, at the United Center on Friday, November 22, and to the Golden State Warriors, 120-97, at the Chase Center on Wednesday, November 20.
