MIAMI — The Dallas Mavericks entered Monday’s game against the Miami Heat with the fewest amount of road games in the NBA, playing just four through their first 18 games.
The Heat entered the first matchup against their longtime rival with one of the best home records in the league. Not ideal for the shorthanded and struggling Mavericks.
Dallas fell victim once again and suffered a 106-102 loss to the Heat in the first of a four-game road trip.
It’s not a Mavericks game if the score isn’t close within the final five minutes. The Mavericks had their 15th clutch game of the season, which leads the NBA. After trailing by as many as 13 points, Dallas valiantly fought back in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 102 thanks to a pair of crucial free throws by Cooper Flagg.
Mavericks
After a timeout by Jason Kidd, the Mavericks had a chance to take the lead on the next possession with 49.7 seconds left.
However, PJ Washington committed a costly turnover while attempting an inbound pass. Heat forward Bam Adebayo intercepted the pass intended for Ryan Nembhard. The Heat took a two-point lead when Tyler Herro sank a floater to give his team a 104-102 lead with 42 seconds left. Washington explained his perspective of the turnover after the game.
“I saw Ryan in the corner. I saw Coop had two people on him so I didn’t really didn’t have an outlet. We had a timeout left and I didn’t want to burn it right there so I thought I could get it to him in the corner. Obviously, it was a turnover. They came down and made a layup,” he said.
Washington had two additional chances to recover from the pivotal error, but couldn’t make two 3-point attempts — one from the corner with 27 seconds left and a contested triple with five seconds left. It was an unfortunate ending for Washington, who was a primary reason why the Mavericks had a comeback effort with 27 points and eight rebounds.
“The 3s, they felt good,” Washington said. “I thought both of them were going in. Obviously, they didn’t. Just keep going. On to the next.”
The Mavericks are now 5-14, while the Heat won its fifth straight and improved to 12-6 with a home record of 8-1.
Herro made his season debut after recovering from left ankle surgery and the Heat needed every contribution from their All-Star guard. He finished with 24 points and seven rebounds on 12-of-18 from the field. Kel’el Ware was dominant inside and out with 20 points and 18 rebounds, while knocking down 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. Bam Adebayo added 17 points and six rebounds.
Max Christie added 15 points and five rebounds. Daniel Gafford recorded a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds with two blocks. Flagg finished with just 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He had a chance to take a pivotal shot after coming up with a steal, but deferred to Washington for the Mavericks’ final chance to tie or take the lead.
“For himself and for the team to go through this tough time of losing close games, it’s only going to make us better as we go forward,” Kidd said, “especially for Cooper because he’s getting to see a lot of different close games and how to handle different situations. This is good.”
The Mavericks will have the luxury of three days between games before they fly to Los Angeles on Thursday for their next road back-to-back against the Lakers and Clippers.
The Mavericks big man also offered insight to his surprise when learning of Nico Harrison’s firing earlier this month.
Two weeks since playing a competitive game, Nembhard stepped in Monday against the Heat and served as the team’s primary fourth-quarter playmaker.
Lively is being evaluated for swelling and discomfort in his right foot, the organization announced on Tuesday.
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