3 things to watch for as the Mavericks meet the Heat

Dallas seeks to keep rolling in Luka’s absence

The 9-7 Dallas Mavericks continue their road swing Sunday with a trip to the Kaseya Center as they face the 6-7 Miami Heat with an early tip at 5:00pm CST. Although Miami, which last played Monday in a 106-89 comeback win against Philadelphia, enjoys a considerable rest advantage, both teams enter this matchup having seemingly found their grooves after a rough stretch.

The Heat have chased a three-game skid with wins in three of their last five, and returned home against the Sixers after a trying six-game road trip. The Mavericks, winners of their last four games after dropping their previous four, ride in on the heels of one of their most impressive wins of the young season, a 123-120 triumph at Denver Friday without the injured Luka Dončić (wrist).

The Heat will likely return from the six-day break at full strength, with guard Terry Rozier (foot) and wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. (ankle) expected to play.

Herro ball

Although Heat mainstays Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo still provide production and leadership, this year’s edition of the team features Tyler Herro as the the centerpiece of its offense. The sixth-year guard has followed up an injury-plagued 2023-24 season by roaring into his prime with 24.2 points per game on .486/.452/.880 shooting splits. Herro, who has responded to the increased responsibility by leveling up with career highs in scoring and assists, is a good ball-handler, a sharp decision maker, and an excellent shooter who does most of his damage with pull-ups and from deep, taking more than half his shots from beyond the arc. Herro’s skillset has made him an effective complement to Butler, who has struggled from long range as he has played more power forward and battled injuries this season but remains a threat to slash and drive, and scores at the rim with .615 accuracy.

The Mavericks have had a hard time containing high-octane guards at times this season but Quentin Grimes, who started in Luka’s place Friday, should help to shore up the Mavericks’ perimeter defense.

The battle up front

Dallas finally faces an opponent with a fully healthy frontline after catching San Antonio without Victor Wembanyama, Oklahoma City without Chet Holmgren, New Orleans without Zion Williamson, and Denver without Aaron Gordon. While the recent good health of Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, P. J. Washington, and Maxi Kleber allowed head coach Jason Kidd to feature effective big lineups in those games, the team faces one of the league’s premier centers in Adebayo.

With Bam bolstered up front by skilled forwards like Nikola Jović, Kevin Love, and the efficient Haywood Highsmith, Miami’s multifaceted array of bigs should provide a potent test of how successful the Mavericks have been at addressing their early-season struggles with bench scoring and rebound differential. Lively and Kleber will need to avoid the foul trouble that stymied them both against the Nuggets, and Gafford will need to continue the dunking spree enabled by his formidable physical play against teams’ second units.

Balancing act

Dončić’s absence has forced the team to compete without its biggest star, and in a series of events that could prove helpful later in the season, several Mavericks have stepped up. When the Nuggets sent two defenders at Kyrie Irving in the second half, Naji Marshall and Washington made them pay with 26 and 22 points respectively, spreading the scoring wealth and sending a warning to opponents who may try to trap their way out of trouble against Dallas.

Seven Mavericks scored in double figures Friday, and the key to a fifth straight win could be a repeat of that egalitarian effort. The third biggest question for the team after rebounding and bench production has been the fit of the team’s new acquisitions, and Marshall, Grimes, and Spencer Dinwiddie, who canned a trio of threes against Denver, have done their part lately to answer that question. Their other new arrival of note, Klay Thompson, has been harder to predict with a scoreless 0-8 shooting performance Friday that has been emblematic of his hot-and-cold 2024-25 campaign, although he is still hitting threes at a .359 clip. Thompson, much like Heat wing Duncan Robinson, can impact the game with timely cutting and quick hands whether or not his shot is falling, but the Mavericks could use a return to form from him.

How to watch

The game will be broadcast locally on Channel 29 and regionally on Mavs TV, and can be heard on 97.1fm.