The Mavericks melt in the Miami Heat’s overtime fire and lose the first game of a back-to-back

MIAMI — The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat will forever be linked in history because of their two NBA Finals appearances in 2006 and 2011 that resulted in each franchise’s first championship.

Even in 2024, the rivalry remains intact. A spotlight hovered over the Heat’s 2006 championship banner throughout Sunday’s matchup. Intentional or not, it was a subtle reminder of the Heat defeating the Mavericks all those years ago.

Sunday’s matchup between the two teams was not your typical November regular season game. It was the first overtime game of the season for the Mavericks, who suffered a 123-118 loss at the Kaseya Center.

Jimmy Butler, who finished with a game high 33 points, scored the game dunk over Dereck Lively II with 4.3 seconds left to tie the game at 114. Spencer Dinwiddie had an opportunity to win the game but missed a 27-foot 3 .-points to the buzzer.

The play was a crucial defensive lapse that occurred when Lively lost track of Butler after the ball was inbounded. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd attributed the collapse to a lack of execution.

“They made a heck of a game offensively,” Kidd said. “Give credit to their offense. Then Dinwiddie looks good to win the game, but we just didn’t get it done. We didn’t get a stop when we needed to.”

Butler’s heroics continued in overtime. He and Bam Adebayo made timely plays as the Mavericks struggled offensively. Dallas missed eight of their 10 field goal attempts in overtime and all six of their 3-pointers. It was a game the Mavericks desperately missed Luka Doncic, who missed his third game of the season with a sprained right wrist.

Kyrie Irving scored 14 of his team-high 27 points in the fourth quarter. It was another uncharacteristic off shooting night as he made just three of his 12 3-point attempts. He split a pair of free throws with 8.2 seconds left, setting up Butler’s dunk in the game’s waning seconds.

Irving kept the Mavericks competitive in the fourth quarter by draining back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the period. With 2:41 left, he drove to the paint and fouled Heat guard Pelle Larsson while fouling out.

Excessive fouling and turnovers plagued the Mavericks (9-8) throughout the game. Dallas committed 24 personal fouls that led to 27 free throw attempts for Miami (7-7). The Heat attempted 21 free throws in the first half, 10 of which came in the first quarter. Jimmy Butler had 16 of those attempts with just five misses from the stripe.

Dallas was also loose with the ball, committing 13 turnovers that led to 17 Heat points.

PJ Washington was Dallas’ second leading scorer with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Lively added 14 points with 13 rebounds.

Naji Marshall scored a career-high 26 points on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. He struggled offensively in the first half, but snapped out of his offensive funk in the third quarter. He scored 10 points in that period and helped keep the Mavericks competitive into the fourth quarter. He finished with 18.

“Heartbreaking loss, but not disappointing,” Marshall said. “I’m proud of my guys. We fought hard. It came down to a few possessions. Hopefully we’re able to fix that the next time we’re in that situation.”

Klay Thompson rebounded from a scoreless effort on Friday with 15 points and six rebounds. He made 3-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc.

Daniel Gafford was initially questionable for Sunday’s game because of left shoulder soreness he started feeling after Friday’s win over the Nuggets. He played 20 minutes off the bench and finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Dinwiddie played nearly 26 minutes off the bench and finished with seven points, five rebounds and seven assists on 1-of-12 shooting from the field.

Kidd was asked about his decision to play Dinwiddie in the game’s closing moments despite his offensive struggles.

“We have a talented team,” Kidd said. “Just having other options out there. I thought Spencer was aggressive and did a good job on both the offensive end and the defensive end. We trust everybody that plays. This is another group to finish with to see, how they handled it. We’re putting ourselves in a position to win.”

Adebayo scored 19 points with 11 rebounds. Tyler Herro added 18 points with a season-high 10 rebounds and five assists for the Heat. Alec Burks had 12 points and three assists.

The Mavericks will meet the Heat again in Dallas on March 13.

Sunday was the Mavericks’ first road game against an Eastern Conference opponent. They won’t have time to sulk over the heartbreaking loss as the Atlanta Hawks will host them on Monday in the second night of a back-to-back.

X/Twitter: @MikeACurtis2

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