Mavs Game Observations: Game 17 @ Heat

Well fought game, but another one lost on the margins

Photo by Rich Storry / Getty Images

After stringing together four straight wins—two of them decided in the clutch—the Mavericks found themselves on the wrong side of a close contest once again. A breakdown and miscommunication on the final possession of regulation cost them the lead, and they ultimately fell to the Heat 123-118 in overtime.

But as always, there was much more to this game than just one possession. It was another interesting contrast of styles, another night where the Mavericks' wing duo stepped up in a big way, and another game where Jason Kidd was left with more questions than answers about the players he trusts with the game on the line.

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1. A clutch breakdown, preceded by too many before it

2. Missing Luka in a classic junked up Spoelstra game

3. Battle of styles on Heat terms

4. Wing and center duos attacking the paint

5. Lack of shooting and puzzling clutch choices (🎞️VIDEO)

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1-A clutch breakdown preceeded by too many before

The final possession of regulation—a breakdown between Dereck Lively II and P.J. Washington on a switch that allowed Jimmy Butler an easy dunk to tie the game with four seconds left—reminded of the defensive lapse in Utah. Another easy look allowed in critical moments, while the Mavericks mostly take tough, contested ones in similar situations on the other end (see point 5).

However, this lapse was far from the only one. There were too many breakdowns earlier to win a game where the Mavericks' offense came back down to Earth, and an old-fashioned hustle win was needed. If you give up layups on missed cuts and straight-line drives, fail to rotate on good shooters like Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love, or Alec Burks, and allow a Butler leak-out and dunk after a free-throw situation, it’s hard to win a game when you’re not scoring 120 points.

Apart from another Kyriesque 14-point fourth-quarter flurry, Irving had a rough scoring night against Miami’s aggressive defense (more on that in the next point). However, Irving’s defense was the bigger issue in this one. To his credit, the Mavericks' locker room leader took responsibility after the game for the defensive breakdowns that led to too many easy Heat buckets.

2-Missing Luka in a classic junked up Spoelstra game

In my preview, I mentioned that Eric Spoelstra is one of the most proactive and aggressive coaches when it comes to using zones and blitzing opposing superstars. With five days to think and prepare for this matchup, it wasn’t hard to anticipate his game plan. The Heat either blitzed or showed two defenders on most of Irving’s actions, frequently disrupting the Mavericks’ flow with zone defense—especially when Irving was off the floor.

The Mavericks eventually adapted to the Heat’s game plan, but the learning curve hurt them badly. Dallas committed 10 of their 13 turnovers in the first half, including 8 in the second quarter when their offense struggled against the Heat’s zone. Without Dončić, Irving faces the 'we’ll stop you at all costs' superstar treatment, forcing him to work much harder. When he’s on the bench, the Mavericks often lack a stabilizing force, leading to chaotic stretches and costly turnovers.

3-Battle of styles on Heat terms

Miami leaned heavily into small, guard-heavy lineups featuring Tyler Herro, rookie Pelle Larsson, and veteran Alec Burks alongside Butler and Adebayo, aiming to counter the Mavericks’ size with speed, aggression and shooting.

The Heat did still have Adebayo and Love inside, and on a night when an aggressive and physical version of Butler showed up, the bigger Mavericks struggled to establish the dominance on the boards that had fueled their recent winning streaks.

The Mavericks had no edge in offensive rebound percentage, while the smaller Heat forced an advantage in the turnover category and shot the ball better (or perhaps less poorly) from three, in what often felt like an up-and-down, run-and-gun type of game.

On the positive side, despite all of that—playing against a well-rested and prepared Heat team on their home floor and on their terms—the Mavericks never stopped battling. Which brings us to the next point.