close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

3 takeaways from Mavericks heat overtime loss
news

3 takeaways from Mavericks heat overtime loss

The Dallas Mavericks fell 123-118 in overtime to the Miami Heat on Sunday night and found a new way to fall apart in the clutch. Dallas couldn’t stop fouling in the first half, allowing the Heat, and more specifically Jimmy Butler, to get to the free throw line at will.

Once Miami took the lead in the first quarter, Dallas was unable to regain the lead until late in the fourth quarter, despite the game being close all game. It just wasn’t the Mavs’ best effort, and it showed when they released Jimmy Butler so the game-tying bucket could force overtime.

Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s loss.

READ MORE: Mavericks fall to Miami Heat in overtime, 123-118

Spencer Dinwiddie was terrible in this game, shooting 1/12 from the floor and 0/9 from three. He took the most shots of any Mavericks in overtime and played every second in the fourth quarter and overtime. There’s no reason to let him play for 17 straight minutes and have him take 10 shots when they’re needed most. He finished this match as a -10, while Klay Thompson, who he stood in for, was a +12. What are we doing, Jason Kidd? It’s not an overreaction to say they’ll win this game if they just don’t play Spencer Dinwiddie.

Naji Marshall was fantastic again, but was also a team-worst -18. A lot of that was because of how bad the players around him were. Maxi Kleber was 0/4, Jaden Hardy was 0/3 and Daniel Gafford had a net rating of -26.2. And we’ve already discussed Spencer Dinwiddie’s monstrosity. The bench was great against Denver, and it was a big reason why they won that game. It was the biggest reason they lost this one.

Kyrie Irving could have extended the lead to three with 8.2 seconds left, but split the free throws. Miami went 17/27 at the free throw line for the game. They just let Jimmy Butler jump wide open for the game-tying dunk. Dinwiddie dribbled across the floor to get a faded three-pointer for the final shot in regulation and didn’t pass. There were so many chances to win this match, but it didn’t happen.

READ MORE: Kyrie Irving’s Future With Dallas Mavericks Clarified

Keep up MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks during the 2024-2025 season

Follow MavericksGameday on Tweet and Austin Veazey Tweet