Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks (116 - 109) March 30, 2012
Thanks to strong bench play and production from the Big Three, Miami pulls away to beat the Mavs by more than 20 points.
Notebook: Heat 106, Mavs 85
Posted Thursday March 29, 2012 11:12PM
By Shandel Richardson, for NBA.com
THE FACTS: The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-85 Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The win snapped the Heat's two-game losing streak, and completed a sweep of the season series against the Mavericks. LeBron James and Chris Bosh each scored 19 points to lead the Heat. Guard Dwyane Wade added 16 points and five assists.
The Heat bounced back from losses to Oklahoma City and Indiana. It was the first time they lost consecutive games by double-digits since signing James and Bosh in 2010. Miami rallied from a slow start to take control in the second quarter. They never trailed again after taking a 60-53 lead into halftime.
The Mavs fell victim to the Heat's smothering defense. Dallas was able to remain in the game behind their 3-point shooting (9-for-24), but shot just 42 percent from the field for the game. Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 25 points. The Mavs' remaining starters made 11-for-28 from the field.
QUOTABLE: "It was good to see that type of energy on both ends of the court ...It was much more to our style. Against this team [the Mavs], it never feels like they're out of it because of their ability to shoot the ball but we stayed the course. Like I said, there were a lot of contributions."
-- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
THE STAT: The Heat outrebounded the Mavericks 44-29. After being handled on the boards the past two games, Miami put together one of its best showings of the season.
TURNING POINT: After trailing by five at the end of the first quarter, the Heat outscored the Mavs 36-24 in the second. Miami shot 75 percent in the quarter.
QUOTABLE II: "We understand that it was only two losses. We can take that if we're losing the game that Miami Heat is accustomed to. It's just about getting back to what's been successful for us on both ends of the floor. I thought we were able to do that tonight."
-- Dwyane Wade.
HOT: Despite this being the worst shooting season of his career, forward Udonis Haslem put together his best game of the year. He shot 6-for-10 from field, pouring in a season-high 16 points. He also made all four free-throw attempts.
NOT: Jason Terry shot just 1-for-10 from the field. Without his instant offense, the Mavs were lacking in the scoring department. The Terry who dominated the Heat in last year's NBA Finals was a no-show.
GOOD MOVE: The Heat got their best performance at point guard in quite some time. Mario Chalmers was effective as a scorer and facilitator. Rookie Norris Cole, coming off a poor three-game stretch, had his best game in recent weeks.
BAD MOVE: The Mavs had no answer for the Heat's Big Three of Bosh, Wade and James. When all are scoring, it makes Miami almost impossible to defend. Dallas was unable to key on anyone because they all were contributing.
NOTABLE: Heat swingman Mike Miller missed his ninth straight game with a sprained left ankle. Miller will not travel with the team for this weekend's two-game road trip. Mavericks guard Delonte West (finger) returned for the first time since Feb. 15. Center Brendan Haywood (knee) was active for the first time in six games.
UP NEXT: For the Heat, Friday @ Toronto, Sunday @ Boston, Tuesday vs. Philadelphia. For the Mavericks, Friday @ Orlando, Monday vs. L.A. Clippers, Wednesday vs. Memphis.