DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks entered the game having lost five of their last six games, while the Miami Heat had recent wins over the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons. As a result, this was a step up in the competition.
The Heat couldn't meet that challenge, losing 114-108 on Thursday night at American Airlines Center.
Despite some ferocious early 3-point shooting, a can't-miss start from Duncan Robinson, and solid numbers from Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier, the Heat proved unable to rise to the occasion.
“They just made plays,” Robinson said. “They made more plays than us until the end. Obviously we need to be better down the stretch.”
The ante was upped even more as the Heat advanced to Friday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder to close out the streak.
Jimmy Butler appeared limited in the first half with a left wrist injury and was tested by double teams all night, making it clear that the Heat could not match the challenge of Luka Doncic, who himself He recorded 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists for the fifth time. Consecutive 30 point triple double.
Robinson finished with five 3-pointers and 19 points, while Butler also had 14 points. Rozier had a Heat career-high 27 points and 11 assists, while Adebayo added 14 points and nine rebounds.
“We were almost there,” Roziark said. “That's a shame.”
Five Degrees of Heat for Thursday Night Game:
1. Closing time: The Heat led by 15 early, leading 36-28 at the end of the first quarter and 58-54 at halftime.
Dallas then took an early lead at 69-68 in the third quarter, then extended its advantage to 11 points and entered the fourth quarter up 91-83, with Doncic scoring 17 points in the third quarter.
The Mavericks scored 37 points in the third period, but the Heat only scored 47 points in the second and third periods combined.
The game was tied 95-95 with 7 minutes and 21 seconds left.
From there, 3-pointers from Dante Exum, Donic and Kyrie Irving gave Dallas a 109-104 lead with 1:28 left, effectively ending the game.
Doncic's 3-pointer came in at the end of the shot clock.
“Based on what we saw, I think he's out,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, but no questions remain. “But we didn't see it. I think they should review it. We told them to review it to see if it was a 2 or a 3. I think if they had seen that, things might be different.
“But Doncic, I watched that play a lot. Once the buzzer went off, he got a big buzzer out of there.”
“You tip your hat and keep it moving,” Adebayo said of Doncic.
2. Change rotation: The Heat started their fifth straight game with a lineup of Butler, Adebayo, Robinson, Rozier and Nikola Jovic.
However, with Kevin Love out again, Spoelstra selected Thomas Bryant as the backup center in place of Orlando Robinson. That was the same approach Spoelstra took during the second half of Tuesday night's home win over the Detroit Pistons.
Despite it being the first day of back-to-back sets, Spoelstra kept Orlando Robinson, Delon Wright, Jamal Cain, Alondes Williams and newcomer Patty Mills from the roster.
3. Still moving: Robinson hit the shots again, making 5 of 5 from the field, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range, to close out the first half.
That helped him outscore Doncic 14-12 at intermission.
Robinson then went 6-of-6 on his first attempt, 5-of-5 from 3-point range and 7-of-7 on a driving layup.
Robinson's first mistake came when he missed a 3-point shot with 3:39 left in the third period. Shortly after, he was sent to the bench for his fourth foul.
He made 5-of-8 3-pointers from the field and 7-of-10 from the field.
“It's always good to make shots,” Robinson said. “But obviously I want to do it to get the win. It's disappointing. But I have short-term memory and I'll have it back tomorrow.”
4. Story Wrist: Butler clutched his left wrist after his second-quarter attempt was blocked by Maxi Kleber.
Butler stayed in the game and went 1-of-2 from the line with six points and four turnovers in the first half.
He then returned to the starting lineup at the start of the second half, but did not score in the 10 minutes of the third quarter, making only two shots in that quarter.
“It's OK. Just a few tweaks,” Butler said. “It’s part of the game and now more than ever we have to get it done.”
There was plenty of effort on the defensive end as well, with Butler replacing Doncic.
Butler went 6-of-12 from the field, 1-of-2 from both the foul line and 3-point range, and added five assists and four rebounds.
“Honestly, it was as expected,” said Butler, who also finished the game with six turnovers. “I think I need to pick my positions better and not turn the ball over too much.”
5. Debut pending: Mills, who was wearing a uniform for the first time as a member of the Heat, did not play in Thursday's game.
But Spoelstra said there are plenty of benefits to adding the 35-year-old point guard.
“I'm very excited,” Spoelstra said before the signing game. “Again, being able to add a player with this much experience, playoff experience, championship experience at this time of year, and he's a great teammate as well, he's going to have to figure out how to adapt. I know.
“We think he's a great fit for a variety of reasons as well. Style-wise, the way he plays, the way he competes. Offensively, he can create space. And his catch-and-shoot. The game, the dribble handoff game, is something that is already built into our system.”
Spoelstra then joked that Mills was a pest for the Heat for most of his 15-season NBA career.
“And we're tired of him being on the other side of being a Heat killer,” Spoelstra said. It would be really good if we could get him to join us. I deeply respect him. ”
