Although it seemed like the Heat were going to be getting a relatively healthy group in Dallas tonight, that changed earlier today as Norman Powell was ruled out with a left ankle sprain.
In the first match-up with this Dallas Mavericks team, Powell was also sidelined as it was Tyler Herro’s season debut in a rather ugly game with the lack of smooth offensive scoring.
With that hole in the rotation tonight, it led to a decision on how to treat the starting lineup this time around. With the big front-court on the Mavericks side, it was somewhat expected that Kel’el Ware would get the nod after his strong play next to Bam Adebayo.
He actually started in that first Mavericks game even though there wasn’t Anthony Davis standing on the other side, and he pretty much sleepwalked into a 20 point, 18 rebound performance.
The starting lineup tonight actually included Pelle Larsson jumping back into the mix, with Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo rounding out the rest.
Your Wednesday night ✋ pic.twitter.com/ZvKyquMwn0
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 4, 2025
Luckily for the Heat, the Mavericks actually didn’t go as big in the front-court as they could have. Anthony Davis is starting at center, with Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall rounding out the front-court.
Tonight’s starters ⤵️@ModeloUSA // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/zbUYCHpQr0
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 4, 2025
So Wiggins and Larsson will get those assignments out the gate, which shouldn’t cause much trouble tonight. But in the bigger picture, it is something to note that going big with Ware isn’t even this team’s plan B right now.
They’re sort of boxed into staggering these two guys due to the lack of big man depth behind them, but it’s clear that playing them together as well needs to be prioritized.
Allowing Adebayo to switch around without worrying about cleaning things up at the rim is a real luxury. Plus, Ware has been a real factor on the offensive end from multiple spots on the floor.
It’s no longer a matter of if these guys can play long minutes together, it’s how can they find a way to get to it more often.
I still believe they will get short pockets of time when Ware enters, unlike how they used to sub in and out for each other in his rookie season. But it’s clear Spoelstra wants to keep Ware comfortable in a consistent role right now, and that role is back-up center.
We will see how this new starting lineup performs tonight against this defensively strong Mavericks group.
