 moved past Orlando (37-39) for the final playoff spot in the East race.Doncic scored 19 points for the Mavericks, but missed 12 of his 18 shots. Dirk Nowitzki scored 13 points for Dallas, as did Jalen Brunson.Dion Waiters scored 17 points for the Heat, who improved to just 4-29 in games where they trailed entering the fourth quarter. Dallas led 82-75 going into the final period, but the Heat outscored the Mavericks 30-17 in the last 12 minutes.Dallas led by 11 points in the first half, and took a 59-49 lead into the locker room after a tip dunk by Dorian Finney-Smith beat the halftime buzzer. But Wade hit a jumper with 1:11 left to put Miami on top for good, Doncic missed a long 3-pointer on the next Dallas trip down the floor and Dragic extended Miami's lead to 100-97 with a nifty up-and-under move on the ensuing Heat possession.As many as 2,000 Slovenians were expected at the game - countless Slovenia jerseys were spotted in the stands, as well as plenty of fans wearing scarves bearing the country's name, all for very good reason.They were there for Dragic vs. Doncic.And Dragic put on a show.His only other triple-double came in 2011 - 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for Houston over Minnesota in a season-finale. That was basically meaningless. This one meant plenty to the Heat, fighting to get into the playoffs in Wade's final season, and a loss to the team that they faced in the 2006 and 2011 NBA Finals certainly would have hurt those postseason chances.Nowitzki had a chance to tie with a 3-pointer - shooting it over a closeout by Wade - with 59 seconds left. Nowitzki's shot sailed long, and the Heat could finally exhale when Wade got a steal and laid it in to cap the scoring with seven seconds left.''He looks like he's got a couple years left,'' Nowitzki said about Wade. ''He can still take games over, he's making good decisions with the ball, he's still athletic enough to get by people. So to me, he looks great.'' TIP-INSMavericks: Dallas dealt with a couple injury scares early - Nowitzki rolled his ankle pregame but started the game, and Doncic left after 3 minutes following a knee-to-knee collision with Miami's Derrick Jones Jr. Doncic returned later in the first quarter. ... Justin Jackson turned 24 on Thursday. ... Mavs assistant Jenny Boucek was an assistant for WNBA's Miami Sol, under the original Heat coach Ron Rothstein.Heat: Josh Richarsdson (bruised left heel) was out Thursday, joining Justise Winslow (sore right thigh) and Rodney McGruder (sore left knee) as Heat regulars out with injuries. It's unclear if any will be able to play in New York on Saturday. ... Friday is the 16th anniversary of Wade's triple-double - 29 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists - in the NCAA tournament for Marquette against Kentucky, the game that sent him to the Final Four.DIRK IN MIAMIThis was the 27th - and possibly final - time Nowitzki appeared in a game at Miami; the Mavs went 13-14 in those games, the most notable win of course being the title-clinching Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals. He says being in Miami brings back memories of both ''the most epic collapse'' in the 2006 finals, and the 2011 victory. ''Little bit of mixed emotions, but usually, the good memories win,'' Nowitzki said.HEAT LINEUPSWith Richardson sidelined for only the third time this season, the Heat used their 25th starting lineup. That ties last season's club for the third-most in franchise history behind 31 in 2014-15 and 30 in 2007-08. Entering Thursday only New Orleans (29), Cleveland (28) and Phoenix (26) have used more starting fives. The NBA average is just under 18, and Orlando - with only eight lineups so far - has used the fewest in the league.UP NEXTMavericks: At Oklahoma City on Sunday.Heat: At New York on Saturday.)
Mar 27, 2019The Miami Heat, who play host to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, are reeling from a tough loss.On Tuesday, the Orlando Magic beat the Heat 104-99, passing Miami by a half-game in the race for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference."You're going to feel great joy when you win," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "and great pain when you lose." Tuesday's loss was indeed painful for the Heat, who blew a 17-point lead and lost at home, where they are just 17-21 this season.Miami (36-38) has eight games left -- just three of them at home, including the contest against Dallas."We're still in the fight," said Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who on Tuesday became the 30th player in NBA history to surpass 23,000 career points. "We still have a chance." The Mavericks, who are the second-worst team in the Western Conference and playing only for pride at this point, can imperil Miami's playoff chance with a win on Tuesday.Dallas is just 7-30 on the road this season, and only the Cleveland Cavaliers (6-30) have won fewer games away from home in 2018-2019. But the Mavs are building for the future, drafting rookie sensation Luka Doncic in June and trading for ex-New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis in January.On Tuesday, the Mavs lost to the Sacramento Kings 125-121, but Doncic produced his seventh triple-double of the season with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.Doncic, a 6-7, 220-pound shooting guard from Slovenia and the third overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is just 20 years old. No player younger than 21 has ever produced more than seven triple-doubles in an NBA season. Hall of Famer Magic Johnson also had seven triple-doubles his rookie year.Overall this season, Doncic leads Dallas in scoring (21.1), rebounds (7.6), assists (5.9) and steals (1.1).He is certainly carrying a Mavericks team that has two would-be starters out for the season due to injuries: Tim Hardaway Jr. (leg) and Kristaps Porzingis (knee). Backup point guard J. J. Barea (leg) is also out for the season."Oh my God -- it's the hardest thing for me to go through shootarounds with the team and then have to pick a suit to wear for the game," said Porzingis, who has not played this season as he recovers from left knee surgery after he was injured on Feb. 6, 2018. "It's the toughest thing for me. I don't want to (sit out) anymore." Once he returns next season, Porzingis envisions pick-and-roll plays with him and Doncic being "hard to guard" for Mavs opponents.But that's next season. On Thursday, the Heat -- in a game they desperately need to win -- will focus on slowing down Doncic, who is the frontrunner to win NBA Rookie of the Year honors.Dallas' four other starters on Tuesday -- Dirk Nowitzki, Jalen Brunson, Dwight Powell and Justin Jackson -- combined to score just 47 points. In addition, all five Mavs starters were on the negative side of their plus-minus for a total of negative-36.In other words, the Mavs have a long way to go to be competitive, and that reflects in their overall record of 29-45.The Mavericks, of course, have history against the Heat, meeting them in two NBA Finals. Miami beat Dallas for the title in 2006, and Dallas turned the tables in 2011.Porzingis believes Dallas can get back there ... someday."My ultimate goal is to win a championship," he said. "I need more time, honestly, but I believe this can be the place." --Field Level Media
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