The Dallas Mavericks (49-30) head to Miami for a date with the Heat (44-35) on Wednesday on the heels of Tuesday’s 130-104 win at the Charlotte Hornets. It’s the second night of a back-to-back set for both teams, as the Heat slid past the Hawks on Tuesday, 117-111, in double overtime.
The Mavericks beat the Heat in Dallas on March 7, 114-108, in the first of what has blossomed into 15 wins in Dallas’ last 17 games. Before breaking through against the Heat in the teams’ first meeting of the year, the Mavs had dropped five of six, but, oh, what a difference a month makes. Now Dallas is the NBA’s hottest team as the regular season winds down.
Luka Dončić led the Mavericks with 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in Tuesday’s win against Charlotte — his 22nd triple-double of the season and the 77th of his career. He broke Mark Aguirre’s single-season Mavericks scoring record in the process and now has 2,341 points this year. Daniel Gafford had one of those special Daniel Gafford nights with 26 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, dominating the paint to score on all 12 of his shot attempts.
Miles Bridges led the way for Charlotte in the loss with 22 points and five boards, and rookie Brandon Miller added 21 and six.
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Here are three things the Mavs need to do to extend their current win streak to five games when they touch down in Miami:
Take advantage of the rest advantage
It’s true, both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, but Dallas and Miami earned their wins on Tuesday in very different fashion. Dončić played just 35 minutes in the win and just 3:37 in the fourth quarter at Charlotte before taking a seat for the night. Kyrie Irving played 37 minutes in the win.
For Miami, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro played 48 minutes apiece in the Heat’s double-overtime win, and Jimmy Butler logged 44 more. Odds are, the Miami Brain Trust will have wobblier legs when the fourth quarter rolls around on Wednesday than Dallas’ core contributors will.
Deal with Herro’s shooting and playmaking
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Daniel Gafford #21 of the Dallas Mavericks dunks the ball during the second half of an NBA game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on April 09, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina.Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images
When Dallas beat the Heat in Dallas, Herro sat out with an injured foot sustained in late February. His scoring and playmaking give Miami three solid offensive options alongside Butler and Adebayo. Herro is matching his career-high mark in scoring this season, averaging 20.7 points per game.
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Though he shot just 4-for-13 from deep Tuesday, he went off to lead the Heat with 33 points and five rebounds on 13-of-25 shooting from the field. He had success in the mid-range game and got to the basket effectively as well against the Hawks.
Trade deadline acquisition Terry Rozier Jr. (27 points, 11 assists, six boards) and sharpshooter Duncan Robinson (19 points) led the charge for Miami against the Mavs in the teams’ first meeting of the year, but neither played Tuesday night against the Hawks. They combined to shoot 10-of-18 from 3-point range to keep Miami close in the Mavs’ win in March.
Robinson didn’t feel like himself after returning from a recent back injury and was ruled out of Tuesday’s game with no announced timeline for return, according to the Miami Herald. Rozier is reportedly dealing with a neck injury. It’s unclear at the time of this writing whether either will suit up on Wednesday.
Get good minutes from the second team
The Mavs’ bench shot 15-of-26 from the field against the Hornets (19-60) on Tuesday, but against stiffer competition, that kind of production has been harder to come by this season. In the Mavericks’ four previous games, the bench shot just 26-of-82 (31.7%) from the field, including two particularly troubling performances against the Golden State Warriors, when non-starters shot a combined 11-of-38 (28.9%) from the floor.
Keeping their head above water in the non-Luka minutes will be key for the Mavs at Miami on Wednesday. The Heat are a playoff team (most likely a play-in team) defending their home court with a chance to catch the Philadelphia 76ers for the 7-seed in the East, and the Mavs don’t need to make Dončić and Irving do it all by themselves.
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BONUS: Standings watch
Entering Wednesday’s action, the Mavericks are still sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference playoff race. Tuesday’s 105-92 win for the Los Angeles Clippers against the Phoenix Suns guarantees the Mavs no worse than a sixth-place finish. There’s not much hope of leap-frogging the Clippers for the 4-seed at this point, though.
One win in the season’s final three games clinches the 5-seed for Dallas, as would one loss from the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s looking more and more like the Mavs will face the Clips in the first round of the playoffs.
Is that a matchup anyone has any interest in? We’re thinking yes.
Miami has scored a huge win on the recruiting trail.
Rivals300 Haymarket (Va.) Battlefield linebacker Noah Glover committed to the Hurricanes on Sunday night shortly following his official visit.
“I love Coach (Corey) Hetherman and Coach (Mario) Cristobal. I feel like Coach Hetherman is a great coach and can develop me. He can help me get to my ultimate goal, which is the NFL. I know I would be in good hands at Miami. The atmosphere is really nice. Coral Gables is a really nice area. Everybody is close. It’s family oriented. The coaches have their sons there. I really love it there.”
Glover picked Miami over fellow finalists Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas A&M
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Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman led the way in Glover’s recruitment. Hetherman visited Glover throughout the offseason and really moved the needle on his official visit.
“I love how Coach Heatherman runs the defense,” Glover said. “He has a lot of blitz packages and allows his linebackers to play free. Nothing really holds them back. They just attack and go. It’s always next play mentality. I feel like that’s a great fit for me.”
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal also made a big impact.
“He’s always sending me videos and quotes,” Glover said. “He stays in touch and calls me, too. My contact with him has been very good. He’s building a great team. You saw it last year. They almost won the national championship. He’s creating a good team and culture. Everything there is next level.”
At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Glover is ranked as the No. 19 linebacker and No. 199 overall prospect in the country, per the Rivals Industry Ranking.
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Miami now has 17 commitments in the 2027 recruiting class — Glover, five-star Long Beach (Calif.) Poly cornerback Donte Wright, five-star Miami (Fla.) Carol City wide receiver Nick Lennear, Top 100 Dotahn (Ala.) High cornerback Ai’King Hall, Top 100 Garner (N.C.) High linebacker AJ Randle, Top 100 Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic quarterback Israel Abrams, , Rivals300 Houston (Texas) Langham Creek defensive lineman Ezekiel Ayangbile, Rivals300 Phenix City (Ala.) Central offensive lineman Jatori Williams, Rivals300 Poplarville (Miss.) High running back Ty Keys, Rivals300 Fort Pierce (Fla.) John Carroll offensive lineman Sean Tatum, four-star Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons tight end Demarcus Deroche, four-star Pearland (Texas) High defensive lineman Demarco Jenkins, four-star Davie (Fla.) McArthur defensive back Jaylyn Jones, three-star Gainesville (Ga.) High offensive lineman Tyler Ford, three-star Key West (Fla.) High defensive lineman Josh Johnson, three-star Lake Worth (Fla.) Santaluces EDGE Jayvon Dawson and three-star Davie (Fla.) McArthur defensive back Sherrod Gourdine .
Miami entered the day with the No. 4 recruiting class nationally.
Two suspects accused in an overnight shooting in Southwest Miami-Dade remain on the loose, deputies said.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the shooting happened on Saturday night in the area of Southwest 143rd Avenue and Southwest 260th Street.
Deputies said that a man was shot as he was trying to get away from two people who tried to rob him.
The man was taken to Baptist Hospital by a friend, but was then airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center in stable condition.
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An investigation into the shooting remains active.
SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – Police seek the public’s help in their search for an elderly man who was reported missing from Southwest Miami-Dade.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Fausto De La Fuente was last seen in the 11800 block of Southwest 173rd Street on Saturday afternoon.
De La Fuente stands 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 190 pounds, and has brown eyes and brown and gray hair. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt and beige shorts at the time of his disappearance.
Investigators said De La Fuente meets the criteria for a missing endangered adult.
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Officials urge anyone with information on his whereabouts to contactDeputy O. Tellez, at 305-715-3300 (Office), 305-715-3252 (Desk), email u304578@mdso.com or Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477)
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